Question

Which addition does the model below represent?

5 positive tiles and 3 negative tiles.

Answer 1

Any time we have a single positive tile pair up with a single negative tile, those two tiles cancel out.

Three positive tiles and three negative tiles will pair up and cancel out. We're left with two positive tiles only. This represents the number 2.

In other words, 5 + (-3) = 5 - 3 = 2