Addition and Subtraction of Negative Numbers Using Algebra
Find the valu...
Question
Find the value of -5 - (-4) using a number line.
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Solution
Here, we are to start at the position of -5 on the number line, and move backwards for -4 steps, which indiciates that we need to move forward for 4 steps.
Mathematically, we have: -(-4) = +4 (Two negative signs form a positive sign). So the expression essentially becomes:
-5 - (-4) = -5 + 4
Now, we can use the number line to denote this operation:
Thus, we finally reach -1, which is the required answer.