How do you simplify $-14 - 21$ ?

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Answer 1 · 2017-04-07T13:16:00

$-14 - 21 = -14 + (-21) = -35$

Answer 2 · 2017-04-07T13:23:24

$-35$

You can think about this in two ways:

A negative number means you are moving to the LEFT, going DOWN the number line.

$-14-21$ can be read as as

"Go $14$ to the left and then another $21$ to the left"

Altogether this will be $35$ to the LEFT, giving $-35$

Negative numbers can also be considered as debts:
You have borrowed money which needs to be repaid.

Read this as "I borrowed $14 and then another $21"
Altogether I have borrowed $35.

You can write this as an ADDITION of two negative numbers:

$(-14) + (-21) = -35$

How do you simplify -14 - 21 -14 - 21 ?