Positive numbers are numbers that are greater than 0. They can be written with or without a positive sign. Negative numbers are less than 0. They are always written with a negative sign.
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Practice makes perfect
Positive numbers are numbers that are greater than 0. They can be written with or without a positive sign. Negative numbers are less than 0. They are always written with a negative sign. Here are some examples of both kinds of numbers.
With this information in mind, we want to write a positive or a negative integer that represents the given situation. Remember that integers are the set of whole numbers and their opposites.
A loss of 8 pounds
The word loss tells us that there is less weight. This means that the weight is decreasing. To express the reduction of an amount, we use a negative number.
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Extra
Opposite Numbers
Two numbers that are the same distance from 0 on a number line, but on opposite sides of 0, are called opposites.
Opposite numbers have the same absolute value. Absolute value is what we call the distance that a number is from 0.
|-8|=8 and |8|=8
