Combine the like terms to create an equivalent expression: - 12-6p - (-2)

When you combine like terms, you essentially add things that are similar, like integers or variables. Here, we have 2 integers and 1 variable. We will add the two integers and leave the 1 variable as it has no like terms to be added with.

So we have - 12 - 6p - (-2). When we have - (-n), that makes + n; when there is a minus sign in front of brackets, that flips the sign of everything inside the brackets - - (-2) becomes + 2.

So now, we have - 12-6p+2. We add - 12 and + 2 and get - 10. So our expression looks like this: - 10-6p, and thats it.