(a) A hibernating animal lost 8 pounds. Write a signed number to represent this weight change. (b) The population of a certain city decreased by 14,000 people. Write a signed number to represent this population change. (1)

Let's break down the problem step by step. ### Part (a) The problem states that a hibernating animal lost 8 pounds. 1. **Understanding Weight Change**: - When an animal loses weight, it is a decrease in weight. - We can represent weight loss with a negative number. 2. **Signed Number Representation**: - Since the animal lost 8 pounds, we represent this weight change as \(-8\). ### Part (b) The problem states that the population of a certain city decreased by 14,000 people. 1. **Understanding Population Change**: - A decrease in population means that the number of people is going down. - Similar to weight loss, we can represent this decrease with a negative number. 2. **Signed Number Representation**: - Since the population decreased by 14,000 people, we represent this population change as \(-14,000\). ### Final Answers (a) The signed number representing the weight change is \(-8\). (b) The signed number representing the population change is \(-14,000\).