You can do this because order and grouping (association) don’t matter in addition.
8. – 6.
Subtracting signed numbers is really easy to do: You don’t! Instead of inventing a new set of rules for subtracting signed numbers, mathematicians determined that it’s easier to change the subtraction problems to addition problems and use the rules I explain in the previous section. Think of it as an original form of recycling.
Consider the method for subtracting signed numbers for a moment. Just change the subtraction problem into an addition problem? It doesn’t make much sense, does it? Everybody knows that you can’t just change an arithmetic operation and expect to get the same or right answer. You found out a long time ago that 10 – 4 isn’t the same as 10 + 4. You can’t just change the operation and expect it to come out correctly.
So, to make this work, you really change two things. (It almost seems to fly in the face of two wrongs don’t make a right, doesn’t it?)
Tip: When subtracting signed numbers, change the minus sign to a plus sign and change the number that the minus sign was in front of to its opposite. Then just add the numbers using the rules for adding signed numbers.
✓ (+a) – (+b) = (+a) + (–b)
✓ (+a) – (–b) = (+a) + (+b)
✓ (–a) – (+b) = (–a) + (–b)
✓ (–a) – (–b) = (–a) + (+b)
The following examples put the process of subtracting signed numbers into real-life terms:
✓ The submarine was 60 feet below the surface when the skipper shouted, “Dive!” It went down another 40 feet:
– 60 – (+40) = –60 + (–40) = –100
Change from subtraction to addition. Change the 40 to its opposite, –40. Then use the addition rule. The submarine is now 100 feet below the surface.
✓ Some kids are pretending that they’re on a reality-TV program and clinging to some footholds on a climbing wall. A team challenges the position of the opposing team’s player. “You were supposed to go down 3 feet, then up 8 feet, then down 4 feet. You shouldn’t be 1 foot higher than you started!” The referee decides to check by having the player go backward – do the opposite moves. Making the player do the opposite, or subtracting the moves:
– (–3) – (+8) – (–4) = +(+3) + (–8) + (+4) = –5 + (+4) = –1
The player ended up 1 foot lower than where he started, so he had moved correctly in the first place.
Here are some examples of subtracting signed numbers:
✓ –16 – 4 = –16 + (–4) = –20: The subtraction becomes addition, and the +4 becomes negative. Then, because you’re adding two signed numbers with the same sign, you find the sum and attach their common negative sign.
✓ –3 – (–5) = –3 + (+5) = 2: The subtraction becomes addition, and the –5 becomes positive. When adding numbers with opposite signs, you find their difference. The 2 is positive because the +5 is farther from 0.
✓ 9 – (–7) = 9 + (+7) = 16: The subtraction becomes addition, and the –7 becomes positive. When adding numbers with the same sign, you find their sum. The two numbers are now both positive, so the answer is positive.
Remember: To subtract two signed numbers:
Examples
Q. (–8) – (–5) =
A. Change the problem to (–8) + (+5) =. The answer is –3.
Q. 6 – (+11) =
A. Change the problem to 6 + (–11) =. The answer is –5.
Practice Questions
1. 5 – (–2) =
2. –6 – (–8) =
3. 4 – 87 =
4. 0 – (–15) =
5. 2.4 – (–6.8) =
6. –15 – (–11) =
Practice Answers
1. 7.
2. 2.
3. – 83.
4. 15.
5. 9.2.
6. – 4.
When you multiply two or more numbers, you just multiply them without worrying about the sign of the answer until the end. Then to assign the sign, just count the number of negative signs in the problem. If the number of negative signs is an even number, the answer is positive. If the number of negative signs is odd, the answer is negative.
Remember: The product of two signed numbers:
The product of more than two signed numbers:
(+)(+)(+)(–)(–)(–)(–) has a positive answer because there are an even number of negative factors.
(+)(+)(+)(–)(–)(–) has a negative answer because there are an odd number of negative factors.
Examples
Q. (–2)(–3) =
A. There are two negative signs in the problem. The answer is +6.
Q. (–2)(+3)(–1)(+1)(–4) =
A. There are three negative signs in the problem. The answer is –24.
Practice Questions
1. (–6)(3) =
2. (14)(–1) =
3. (–6)(–3) =
4. (6)(–3)(4)(–2) =
5. (–1)(–1)(–1)(–1)(–1)(2) =
6. (–10)(2)(3)(1)(–1) =
Practice Answers
1. – 18. The multiplication problem has one negative, and 1 is an odd number.
2. – 14. The multiplication problem