Here’s another way to think of it: adding a negative number is the same as subtracting a positive number. 5 + (-2) = 5 - 2.
Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding a positive number. 5 - (-2) = 5 + 2.
Don’t get confused by where you start on the number line. The first number only tells you where to begin on the number line. You’ll always move right or left based on the type of problem and the second number.
Here’s a memory aid: it takes two lines to draw the two negative signs. It also takes two lines to draw a plus sign, so - - is the same as +, moving to the right.
The absolute value of 6 is 6. The absolute value of -6 is also 6. 9 has a greater absolute value than 7. -8 has a greater absolute value than 5. It doesn’t matter that one is negative.
Rearrange it so you’re subtracting the smaller absolute value from the larger one. Ignore the negative sign for now. For our example, write 4 - 2 instead. Solve that problem: 4 - 2 = 2. This isn’t the answer yet! Look at the original problem and check the sign (+ or -) of the number with the largest absolute value number. 4 has a higher value than 2, so we look at that in the problem 2 + (-4). There’s a negative sign in front of the 4, so our final answer will also have a negative sign. The answer is -2.
3 - (-1) = 3 + 1 = 4 (-2) - (-5) = (-2) + 5 = 5 - 2 = 3 (-4) - (-3) = (-4) + 3 = 3 - 4 = -1
(-7) - (-3) - 2 + 1 =(-7) + 3 - 2 + 1 =3 - 7 - 2 + 1 =(-4) - 2 + 1 =-6 + 1 =-5
