Question

Simplify the variable expression. $$-(-5)(y)(-y)$$

Short answer

The simplified expression of \(-(-5)(y)(-y)\) is \(-5y^2\).

Step-by-step solution

Simplify the expression

In the expression \(-(-5)(y)(-y)\), we need to break down the brackets. In doing so, we follow the rules for multiplication of signed numbers: The product of two negative numbers or two positive numbers is a positive number. The product of one negative number and one positive number is a negative number. After that we can simplify the expression as follows: The result of \(-(-5)\) will be 5, because the minus before the bracket changes the sign.

Multiply by variables

The simplified expression is now 5*(y)*(-y). The next step is to multiply the numbers with the variables. The result of \(5 * (y) * (-y)\) will be \(-5y^2\), since multiplying two identical variables results in the variable being squared and any number multiplied by a negative number is negative.