Math · Numbers, fractions & decimals
Positive and Negative Numbers: Calculating and Comparing
Estimated time includes reading and one quiz. Take the time you need.
Start here: key ideas
- Positive and negative values can be whole numbers, fractions, or decimals.
- Farther right means greater on a number line.
- Absolute value is distance from zero, so it is nonnegative.
- For unlike signs, subtract magnitudes and keep the sign of the larger magnitude.
What you’ll be able to do
- Compare positive and negative whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.
- Calculate with signed numbers.
- Use absolute value to find distance from zero.
- Solve changes across zero.
Place numbers first; then let direction and distance explain signs.
Positive, negative, and zero
Numbers can be positive, negative, or zero. Integers have no fractional part, such as −3, 0, and 5. Fractions and decimals can also be negative. On a number line, numbers farther right are greater: −0.25 is greater than −0.8. You will compare these values, calculate with them, and interpret changes such as a temperature rising from −3°C to 5°C.
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