Joyce Li 10/18/13

700 Math/P.S.126
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
Dealing Down Game
In this unit, we have learned a lot about integers. Integers are negative and positive
numbers. The educated game, we are playing is called Dealing Down. In order to win this game,
you have to make the answer as low as it can get. Which means the answer will be a negative. In
order to get the lowest number possible, you would need to know and use your operations. The
operations are parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. These
operations are going to help win this game. There are many strategies to use in this game and
these strategies all include operations with positive and negative numbers, the Commutative
Property of Addition and Multiplication, and the Order of Operations. In my game between
Michelle Baum, we used many strategies to get to the lowest possible quantity. We both used the
operations with positive and negative numbers, and the order of operations.

Operations with positive and negative numbers:
Rule for addition:
Positive plus positive equals positive.
For example, 5 + 5= 10
Positive plus negative equals positive, negative or zero. If the negative number is
greater than the positive number in absolute value form, the answer will be
negative. The answer will be positive, when we are adding a positive with a
negative.
For example, 4 + (-2) = 2
3 + (-5) = -2
6 + (-6) = 0
Negative plus positive equals positive, negative or zero. This rule is the same as
the rule for positive plus negative. (Commutative property of addition)
For example, -2 + 3 = 1
-5 + 2 = -3
-4 + 4 = 0
Negative plus negative equals negative.
For example, -5 + -2 = -7
Rule for subtraction:
Positive subtract positive equals positive, negative or zero. If the first number is
less than the second the answer will be negative.
For example, 8 6 = 2
5 8 = -3
6 6 = 0
Positive subtract negative equals positive.
For example, 5 - (-2) = 7
Negative subtract positive equals negative.
For example, -7 - 5 = -12
Negative subtract negative equals positive, negative or zero. The answer will be
negative when the first number is less than the second. The answer will be
positive when the first number is more than the second. The answer will be zero
when the first and second number is the same.
For example, -8 (-5) = -3
-2 (-2) = 0
-3 (-5) = 2
Rule for multiplication:
Positive multiply positive equals positive or zero. The answer will only be zero
when a number is multiplied by zero.
For example, 5 * 5 = 25
6 * 0 = 0
Positive multiply negative equals negative.
For example, 4 * (-2) = -8
Negative multiply positive equals positive. (Commutative property of
multiplication)
For example, -5 * 3 = -15
Negative multiply negative equals positive.
For example, -5 * (-6) = 30
Rule for division:
Positive divide positive equals positive.
For example, 9 / 3 = 3
Positive divide negative equals negative.
For example, 6 / (-2) = -3
Negative divide positive equals negative.
For example, -8 / 4 = -2
Negative divide negative is positive.
For example, -10 / (-2) = 5
Michelle and I have not used negative exponents, but I have done some investigation on
it. Negative exponents wouldnt be able to give us the lowest quantity. When using negative
exponents, your answer will become a fraction. For example, 4
-2
is 1/4
2
and when we multiply a
fraction the product will be small but there are other expressions that can get a smaller quantity.
Overall, negative exponents wouldnt be able to help us find a low quantity.
What also helped me get to the lowest possible number is Order of Operations. Order of
Operation exists to tell people what to do first. That way, people will have the same answer and
the same way to solve the expression. Order of Operation, also known as PEMDAS, tells us what
to do first. The P stands for parentheses, the E stands for exponents, the M stands for
multiplication, the D stands for division, the A stands for addition and the S stands for
subtraction. Multiplication and division goes in order from left to right, for addition and
subtraction as well. For example, if the expression was (-2
2
* 2) + 6/ 2 equals to 12. To do this
we do what in the parentheses first. In the parentheses is -2
2
* 2. The next step was exponents. -2
to the power of 2 is 4. Now, we finish up whats in the parentheses, 4 * 2 = 8. The next step is
either multiplication or division, 6/ 2 = 3. The expression is now 8 + 3. The answer is 12.
The Commutative Property of Addition and Multiplication can really help during the
game. The Commutative Property of Addition and Multiplication tells us no matter what order
you put the numbers, the answer will still stay the same. For example, the commutative property
of addition; 5 + 8 = 12 is the same as 8 + 5 = 12. The answer is the same even when the order is
switched. The commutative property of multiplication; 6 * 2 = 12 is equivalent to 2 * 6 = 12. As
you can see you get the same answer even when you switch the order. Commutative property is
order doesnt matter and it can help me solve expressions faster.
Strategies I have used:
Strategy #1: One strategy I used was to add up three of the numbers to make it a negative and
then multiply it by a positive. For example, -1, 1, 2, & 5, I did (-1 2 3) 5 = -20. I knew if I
multiplied a negative with a positive the answer would be a negative. If the answer is a negative
the quantity would be small.
Strategy #2: Another strategy I used was if I have four numbers that are all positive, I would take
the smallest one and subtract from it. For example, 1, 2, 3, 10, I did (1 2 3)10 equaling to -40.
When I subtract a bigger number from a smaller number, the difference becomes negative.
Strategy #3: The last strategy I used was if I had all negative numbers, I would just add them
together. For example, 1, -1, -5, -6, my expression was -1 + (-5) + (-6) 1= -13. As you can see,
when you add negative numbers together the answer will be still negative.
Games Played:
Round 1: Cards dealt were -10, -1, 2, and -3. For this round, Michelle has scored the point
because my expressions quantity was greater than hers. The objectivity of this game is to get the
least quantity. My expression was (-10 + -3)2 + (-1) giving the answer -27. Michelles
expression was [-10 + (-3) + (-1)] * 2 giving the answer -28. If this was on a number line,
Michelles quantity would be farther from zero than my quantity.




Round 2: Cards dealt were -2, 5, 10 and 0.25. For this round, I won and scored a point because
my expression, 10 * 5 / 0.25 * -2, gave a value of -400. On a number line, -400 is really far right
of the zero, it would be 400 spaces from 0. For Michelles expression (-2 5 - 0.25) 10 she gets
the value -72.5, this is 72.5 spaces away from 0. Since my quantity is farther away from 0 and in
on the right, it is smaller.


Round 3: Cards dealt were 1, -1, -5, and -6. This round was a tie. We both got a similar
expression, but the same quantity. Michelles expression was (-1 1) + (-5) + (-6) = -13. My
expression was -1 + (-5) + (-6) -1 equals -13. On a number line, the quantity would be on the
same spot, -13.




Round 4: Cards dealt were -1, 1, 2, and 5. For this round, I won by using the expression,
(-1 1 2) *5 giving the value -20. Michelles expression was (5 + 2 + 1)*-1 giving the value -8.
If we looked at a number line, my quantity would be 20 spaces to the right of the zero, but
Michelles would be 8 spaces away from the zero; we all know when a number is on the right of
the zero, it is a negative. Since my number is farther to the right, it has the least quantity.




Round 5: Cards dealt were all positive numbers, 1, 2, 3, and 10. My expression was
(1 2 3)*10 = -40. Michelles expression was 1 3 2 10 = -14. If we looked at a number
line, my value would be farther to the right of the zero than Michelles value.




In conclusion, from this whole unit on integers, I learned to get the lowest value your
answer has to be a negative. I learned in order to get a negative to decrease more, you multiply
by a positive. Also, from my little investigation, I learned negative exponents wouldnt help get
the lowest number. Although, I havent used this in my game, but I also learned that in order to
get a negative using exponents, the exponent needs to be an odd number. This game teaches very
clearly about order of operation and integers.







I learned that in order to get the lowest value, you have to make it negative. To decrease it even
more, you have to multiply the negative number, not divide because the absolute value will
decrease, which means that the negative number will increase. I also learned that the only way
for a negative number to decrease when using exponents, is that the exponent must be odd, or
else the number will become even because a negative times a negative equals a positive. In
addition, after writing the report, I now know that you wont get the smallest number if you use
negative exponents because they will increase the negative number, or there is another
expression that has an answer that is even lower.