Arithmetic Grade Five

Lesson Thirty-six: Subtracting Negative Numbers


You can subtract a negative number from a negative number. Here's an example.


	-4 - 3 = -7

This problem, translated into English, says, "negative four minus three equals negative seven." In other words, you start at the value negative four and you subtract three. This results in a value three less than negative four, which is negative seven.


	-41 - 32 = -73

When you see a problem like this, the easiest way to solve it is to add the two values (in this case, 41 + 32 = 73) and then stick a negative sign in front of the answer (-73).

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