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Subtracting can be thought of as going left on the number line.
-3
Let's perform the subtraction.
The resulting position, after moving to the right and left on the number line, is the difference. 14-17=-3
These properties tell us the legal
moves we can make when adding or multiplying numbers.
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But why aren't there properties for subtraction or division? |
Some mathematicians refuse to acknowledge that subtraction and division are even operations! Subtraction is the same thing as adding a negative and division is the same thing as multiplying by a fraction. a-b=a+(- b) and a/b=a* 1/b Therefore, we can use the Properties of Real Numbers for subtraction and division, but we need to change our way of thinking.