Integers are whole numbers and their negatives: … −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3 … Negative numbers are used for temperatures below zero, depths below sea level and money owed.
On a number line, numbers get bigger to the right. So −5 is greater than −9, even though 9 is bigger than 5. The absolute value of a number is its distance from 0, so it is never negative: |−8| = 8 and |8| = 8.
Worked example
It is −6°C at night and 9°C at noon. How many degrees warmer is it at noon?
- From −6 to 0 is 6 degrees.
- From 0 to 9 is 9 more degrees: 6 + 9 = 15.
Answer:15 degrees
Key words
- integer
- a whole number or its negative
- absolute value
- distance from zero
- opposite
- the same distance from 0 on the other side, like 4 and −4
Practise this
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: 6.NS.C.5, 6.NS.C.7