Arithmetic Grade Six

Lesson Four: Adding Negative Numbers

There are some things in arithmetic that seem just a little strange when you are first introduced to them. Adding negatives is one of those things. Consider this example: 


	4 + -3 = 1
This problem, translated into English, says, "four plus negative three equals one." You probably notice immediately that this problem is more or less just another way of saying: 

	4 - 3 = 1
Adding a negative number is the same as simple subtraction.

Consider these examples:

NUMBER SENTENCEEnglish Translation
3 + -7 = -4
 positive three plus negative seven equals negative four
3 - 7 = -4
 positive three minus positive seven equals negative four
3 + 7 = 10
 positive three plus positive seven equals positive ten
Remember that adding a negative number is basically the same as simple subtraction. (Hair-splitters will tell you that it's not the same, but as a practical matter it's more or less the same thing!)

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