Adding/Subtracting negative numbers Adding and subtracting negative numbers

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Adding/Subtracting negative numbers

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ok so when two negative numbers are beimg added or subtracted then they cancel eachother out? need a little clarity on that
No! when you add a positive to a negative, something is cancelled. when you add a negative to a negative, the absolute amount is more. So (-3)+(-4)=-7. Nothing is cancelled there.
what happens if you get 7+-4???? does the minus still turn into a +?
You start from the positive end of the number line, because 7 is positive. Then because 4 has a negative sign in front of it, that means go BACK TO THE LEFT towards the ZERO ... going LESS.... four spaces. -4 means go back to the less than direction, back to or past zero, to the left. Now, the sentence reads, 7 going LESS 4.... 7-4... Where does the number stop? At 3, if you start at +7 and go left 4 spaces on the number line. The number stays positive because the sentence only asked you to go 4 spaces back towards zero, not past the zero into the negative (less than zero) numbers. If it had read, 7- -8, that would mean start at +7, go back (-)8 spaces. That is more than seven, which would have landed you at 0 (zero), but asked for -8... so going one more space past zero, landing you at -1. Just hop to the less direction (-)..when the number has a negative sign, go back left. Even if you start on the negative side of the number line, -7 and -3...start at -7, hop three spaces left (- sign), you land on -10. Hope this helps.
Adding and subtracting negative numbers are really hard ,i dont get it. Cn someone plz help me by explaining it a little better? *.*
@blakester95:
if its a positive number and a negative number
then why not just write it like this: -4+7 instead of -4++7???
it just makes it a little confusing for some people..
I'm just trying to help.. oh and another thing..
how come Sal never answers these questions for us???
blakester95 please help me to understand why he does this..
I haven't done math in a very long time, so I am a little rusty. I am finding it hard to visualize problems such as -3 - -3. How would you present that visually?
Okay, you need 12 plates for your dinner party (-12) [I used a negative because this is the number you NEED. You don't neccesarily have the plates. So you are down 12]. Now let's say you have 9 plates in your cubbord (+9). [I used a posetive sign because you DO have these. You are up 9]. So if you need 12, but have 9, then how many plates do you need to make this party happen? (3). But you don't have the three, so it's a negetive number (-3). It's a lot like saying 12-9=3, except that you are talking about a lack of plates instead of plates that you have available.

So that would be -12 plates +9 plates, equal -3 plates. (-12+9=-3)

Okay, so let's say your dog fido comes in and smashes two plates. You DID only need to buy 3 plates. (three plates you don't have is -3) Now you have to buy an additional 2 plates. (two plates you don't have is -2) Now that means you have to buy 5 plates. (five plates you don't have is -5) This would be written as -3+-2=-5 though many leave out the + as it's implied, and just write -3-2=-5. I hope this helped.

ps. I also haven't done math in for ever, but I'm pretty sure it's right. If anyone who reads this thinks I'm wrong, please feel free to correct me, and do let me know!
illustrate using the number line why subtracting a negative number from another
negative number that it is necessary to change the sign of the subtracting number
to a positive to get the correct answer or is it the case of a rule that must be
learned with no reasoning behind it. sal passed over this in the video.


Why does Sal use a shorthand notation at 5:43?
I have no idea why he did that at 5:43
i don't understand why -3++3=0...please can anyone answer please
to make it simpler think it as -3+3 so if u start at the negative side of the numberline at -3, then u encounter the plus sign so u move to the right 3 times so u reach 0
wats a nother way instead of using the number line
switching the signs or using paper or some other material chips and laying them out, and then canceling. look on other websites too for further help if your arent finding your answers here.... :)
Do you get a negative number if you subtract a negative number from a negative number?
depending the number... for say -2+(-3)=1 but -3+(-2)=-1

hope i helped :)
I still dont get it so can someone please help me summarize this in detail the differences between getting a positive number and a negative number? Thank you.
well a positive number is above 0 & a negtive is below 0 (read slow)
Now I understand how to add and subtract and it has helped me in school. But, how do you subtract when you have three numbers? ex: 18-(-17)-(-11)
you work with whats in the ( ) first (:
Why do negative number's cancel out?
what do you mean with cancel out?
why does is have to be so confussing?!?
its because sal is cunfussing you =D
I still don't understand it.HELP!!!
this isn't a question
When he says "3 minus minus 3'' does he mean 3 minus negative 3?
Yes it does, it doesn't really matter which is it so:
3- -3 = ?
This is what he means basically.
i am still struggling boooooohoooooooohoooooohoooooohooo
i feel sorry for you
I can't visualize 3 - -3 on the number line. Can't that be shown too? Just to say the minuses cancel out is not a full answer. How do they cancel out?
think about say the negative 3's - and the minus sign merge together to make a + sign. hope that can give you a visual of it...=D
Can someone please tell me the difference between negative 1 and minus 1?
In my opinion, I think you use 'minus' as in 1 MINUS 2, and use 'negative' as in 1 minus 2 equals NEGATIVE 1. Am I correct or what? @.@
You are absolutely right about the use of Negative.

Minus is a bit trickier because people use it in different ways. The temperature could be "minus 1 outside", if people say that they mean the EXACT SAME THING as "it is negative 1 outside".

BUT they could also say "3 minus 1" which is the same as saying "3 subtract 1" or "3 take away 1".
why dont u get the same answer when u subtract -3 - -3 as to when u subtract -3 - 3
because when you subtract a negative it is really like adding a positive so really your equation is -3+3 which equals 0
THANK YOU SAL. I HAVE LEARN ARTHEMATICS FROM VIDEOS AND I FIND VERY EASY. MAY GOD PERSERVE YOU
ok good for you and sal and this is not the comments section the comments are up there just under the video
so when u hav a problem like 2--3 then u wood just change the minus into plus and the negative into positive? im trying to make things more simple for my brain!!! :)
Yes, basically! Copy, Change, Change. It was the method I was taught!
I just don't know all the rules!
E. -5+-7=?
I don't get it

"I am a student here help me'!!!!!!!'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!''!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Your frustrated pupil,
Maria
-5+-7 is the same as -7+-5. What happens if the problem was -5+7?

2 would be the correct answer, but the 7 is a negative. So what would 5+-7 be?

-2 would be the answer, because 5+-7 is the same as 5-7. so what does it mean to add a negative number? Adding a negative is the same as subtracting a positive. 5+-7 = 5-7. That means -5+-7 is the same as -5-7 or -7-5. Now you tell me,

What is -5+-7?
None of this video helps me with this excersises, only the comments
videos help me a bit but comments help me a lot
does Einstein's method "A negative times a negative equal a positive" work as well for addition and subtraction of negative numbers? a negative plus a negative equals a positive? and a a negative plus a positive equals a negative? I'm confused!
As you say, that only works for the results of the multiplication, and works regardless of the size of the numbers, for instance, -100 * -1 = 100, and, -100 * 1 = -100 .

In the addition, it is a little different, since it works for the SIGN, understood as the direction in which addition takes place (left or right). The size of the numbers becomes relevant for the answer being positive or negative, for instance:

-100 + -1 = -101 , and if you change the sign, -100 + 1 = -99.

Note that in the example above we were moving towards 'minus' (left) when the signs were equal, and towards 'more' (right) when the signs were different.

The sign on the answer would change if you have a positive number greater than the negative number in the operation, for instance:

-100 + 101 = 1 (which is a positive number).

If you add a negative number to a negative one, you will go left (-- = <---)
If you add a positive number to a positive one, you will go right (++ = --->)
If you add a positive number to a negative one, you will go right (+- = --->)
If you add a negative number to a positive one, you will go left (-+ = <---)

Is this helpful?
this is so much harder than multiplying/dividing integers to me. why could that be.
Maybe because multipliying and dividing fractions is more easy then adding and subtracting them.
what about an equation like 1+-9???now what do I do???
Awww i feal sorry for everyone else...
they dont have alot of "answers" like elijah :/ srry!!
Oh and I'm just gunna go with..
this is a really old video..
horrible graphics..
Hmmm....the following still bugs me....when you have somthing like:

8 - - 7 = ?

I understand the procedure...2 minus signs become plus sign and you add the numbers to get 15. Messes me up, though. Can someone explain this? I read it as if we're suppose to subtract a neg 7 from 8. A real world example would help, too. thanks, cheers.
Oh, and as for your real life example, imagine the minus sign as meaning 'opposite of' the following sign, or the 'inverse of' the following sign, while the plus sign means 'the same as ' the following sign. Thus --2 will read 'the opposite of -2' or 'the inverse of -2', which is, of course +2. By the same token, -+2 could be read as 'the opposite of +2' which is -2. Also, +-2 can be interpreted as 'the same as -2' which is just -2, and ++2 can be interpreted as 'the same as +2" which is just +2. If you understand graphs, you could think of it as a graph. If you had to draw the line y=-(-2), you could visualize this as "the inverse of the line y=-2, which would be the line y=+2...and so forth. Feel free to email me if you want to discuss this further, my email address is achieve.learn@gmail.com. Hope this helps you. :)
do you always have to write/draw a number line?
Why do the signs in the problem 2--3 become addition or cancel such as in the video of adding/subtracting negative numbers at 5:27 on the timer?
Because the "-" sign negates (or changes the sign of) the expression: -1 is the negation of +1 and +2 is the negation of -2. The author of the video should have read "two minus negative three" instead of "two minus minus three". It makes more sense. So, you are negating the number -3 (negative three).
so, what you mean is,subbtracting negativie numbers turn in to adding,and adding negative numbers turn in to subtracting,right??
That's right. To add a negative number decreases the sum, and to subtract a negative number increases the sum.
ok what about if I have -(-4)-(-8) = ?
im only if fourth grade and i love this!!
wow i cant believe u undertand this
can you subtract a negative number the traditional way , and then just make the answer a negative number?

example: problem: 12-15 (so i would turn that into: ) 15-12= 3, and then I would turn 3, into -3

does that always work? (:
im just confused about this
search further into the web....theres tons of info out there! :)
How whould I solve this -3 + 4 ( -2 ) or which video can I refer to ?
It might be easier to split the expression into smaller parts: 4 - 2 = 2 thus the expression becomes -3 + 2 Then we can replace those two numbers by their negations (their corresponding negative or positive numbers): 3 - 2 = 1 and then negate the whole expression: -1

Or you can just negate it from the very beginning:
-3 + 4 - 2 = -(3 - 4 + 2) = -(3 + 2 - 4) = -(5 - 4) = -1
Oh now I get it thanks Sal! :)
A little confusing about the negative - negative and how it almost makes a positive.
make a number line in your brain.then you will see
how would you subtract -8 from 1?
1-(-8)=9 not -9. Normally, you move left on the number line when you subtract. But when you subtract a negative number, you have to move the opposite way. Minus a negative is the same as adding.
you too.... re-watch the video until you get it! :)
So if i were to Subtract 7 and -3 would it be the same as saying 3+7?
Sal makes it easier to understand..
but when you add a two negatives isn't it the same as adding two positives?
Ugh when I do the exercise I keep messing up on one problem and having to start over! :(
this is not a question
I am still struggling, could anyone help me?
sorry this isnt an awnser but fear not i dont get it either!!!!!!! /:I
a negative plus a positive equals a negative right and a negative plus a negative equals a bigger negative right? b cause if its true i am such a genius!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No. -3+6=3. But your second theory is correct.
what??? this is the questions section!!!!!
i dont get that if -50 is a smaller amount then -20then how do u minus -20 from - 50????
would it just be -30??? or is there somthing i am missing
thank you that explains everything
7-3=4

3-7=-4

3--7=10

-3-7=????
Umm they're other questions different but no videos plz make?
How do i get a black hole or a sun badge? and how do i acquire points?
i asked a query and i get "this is not a place to ask!!!" and 'EXACTLY" remarks.
this does not make sense
is sal a jerk i think he is
WHY DID YOU CALL HIM A JERK?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????!!!!!!! HE'S AMAZING!!!!!!!!! oh... you were kidding! HA HA! LOL :)
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