Negative Numbers Reasoning 3 - Reasoning

In a mathematical reasoning exercise focusing on negative numbers, a student named Leanna presents a statement regarding temperature changes. She claims that if the temperature drops by 15 degrees from 7 degrees Celsius, the resulting temperature would be -7 degrees Celsius. The task at hand is to evaluate Leanna's statement and determine the correctness of her claim. Students are encouraged to prove their answer, which requires an understanding of how negative numbers work in the context of subtraction and temperature scales.

Upon examining Leanna's statement, it becomes clear that her reasoning is flawed. The correct calculation for a temperature drop of 15 degrees from 7 degrees Celsius is to subtract 15 from 7, which results in -8 degrees Celsius (7 - 15 = -8). Therefore, the answer is not -7 degrees Celsius as Leanna suggests, but rather -8 degrees Celsius. This exercise is designed to help students practice their understanding of negative numbers and to reinforce the concept that subtracting a larger number from a smaller one will result in a negative number, especially within real-life contexts such as temperature changes.