In this video, we’re going to add and subtract negative numbers on a number line. The important thing to remember is that if you are adding a positive number, you start at some point on the number line and move that many units to the right. If you are adding a negative number, you start wherever you are and move the absolute value of that negative number to the left. If you are subtracting either of them, you do the opposite.
Let’s look at a few examples:
- Negative 10 + Negative 6: We start at negative 10 on the number line and add positive 6, so we move 6 units to the right and end up at negative 4.
- Negative 8 - Negative 2: We start at negative 8 and subtract negative 2, so we move 2 units to the right and end up at negative 6.
- 4 + Negative 7: We start at 4 and add negative 7, so we move 7 units to the left and end up at negative 3.
- 5 - Negative 5: We start at 5 and subtract negative 5, so we move 5 units to the right and end up at 10.