Answer
$2$
Work Step by Step
RECALL:
$a-(-b) = a+ b$
Thus,
$-17-(-19)
\\= -17+19 $
The numbers being added have different signs. To add the numbers, perform the following steps:
(1) Subtract the bigger absolute value by the smaller absolute value to obtain:
$|19| - |-17| =19-17 =2$
(2) The sum of the two numbers will be the same as the sign of the number with the bigger absolute value.
Note that $|19| \gt |-17|$.
Thus,
$-17+19 = 2$
