Returning to the test example, suppose you have gotten the first five correct but missed the next two. Of course, your score would be 5 – 2 = 3. Suppose now that you missed more than five, your score would then become a negative number. If you missed the next seven problems, you will have lost credit for all five you got correct plus another two: 5 – 7 = –2. When subtracting a larger positive number from a smaller positive number, take the difference of the two numbers. The difference will be negative.
Examples
410 – 500 = –90
10 – 72 = –62
Be careful
what you call these signs; a negative sign in front of a number indicates that
the number is smaller than zero. A minus sign between two numbers indicates subtraction.
In 3 – 5 = –2, the sign in front of 5 is a minus sign and the sign in front of
2 is a negative sign. A minus sign requires two quantities and a negative sign
requires one quantity.
Practice
1. 28
– 30 =
2. 88
– 100 =
3. 25
– 110 =
4. 4
– 75 =
5. 5
– 90 =
Solutions
1. 28
– 30 = –2
2. 88
– 100 = –12
3. 25
– 110 = –85
4. 4
– 75 = –71
5. 5
– 90 = –85
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