Understanding the Equation –x–3 = –7 Through Playful Math

Imagine you have a mystery number, let's call it 'x', and someone is telling you that if you take away 3 from that number, you will get 7. We can solve this mystery using a simple game:

1. Let's start with the number 'x'.
2. Now, pretend that 'x' has three little friends. When we remove these three friends from 'x', we end up with a new number, which is -7.
3. So, we write the equation as '-x - 3 = -7'. This is like a secret code that we need to crack to find out the value of 'x'.
4. To solve the mystery, we need to imagine putting the three friends back with 'x' and figuring out what 'x' originally was.
5. By carefully following the steps and using our detective skills, we can determine that 'x' is equal to -4. So, the mystery number we started with was -4!

Therefore, the solution to the equation '-x - 3 = -7' is 'x = -4'. This means that when you subtract 3 from -4, you will indeed get -7. Math can be like solving puzzles, and with practice, you can become a math detective too!