Combining like terms with negative coefficients

−5j+(−2j)+3

Combine the terms with j, so -7j+3 would be left.

This law is sometimes called the grouping property. as you can see, regardless of how the numbers are grouped, the answer is still 13. the associative law of multiplication is similar to the same law for addition. it says that no matter how you group numbers you are multiplying together, you will get the same answer.