Title. I know it goes like that, but as an non mathematician can’t explain it to him.
In: 0
think of the minus sign as meaning opposite.
So 2 normally means two. But -2 is the opposite of 2. So it means to take two away.
If you have 4 – ( – 2) you are doing the opposite of taking away two. The opposite of minusing is adding!
Draw the numbers as lines with a certain length. Two lines add up to a bigger line/number. + always goes left to right. Minus makes you go in the opposite direction. 2x opposite results in left-to-right again.
I’ve got a couple:
The minus turns the number around. When you have two negative signs, you turn around twice, and wind up looking forwards again. Plus two is going forwards. Minus two is turning around and then going forwards, so it takes you in the opposite direction. Minus minus two it turning around twice and then going forwards, so you go in the first direction again.
When you go from zero to two, you go two steps forwards. So 4+2 is going two steps forward from four, and 4-2 is the opposite, which is going two steps backwards from four. When you go from zero to negative two, you go to steps backwards. So 4+(-2) is two steps backwards from four, and 4-(-2) is the opposite, which is two steps forwards from four
get 10 x red beans and 10 x green beans (or beads or something)
the red ones represent -1. the green ones represent +1. together as a pile, they all cancel each other out and equal 0.
now take away 2 x of the red beans (subtract 2 x “minus 1’s”)
now add up the pile.
for your specific question, you want to start with let’s say, 8 of the positive beans and 4 of the negative beans. added up, it equals 4. now take away 2 of the negative beans and add it up again.
Let them know that a double negative is a positive. And as a little note, with the two -‘s next to each other, if you combine them they make a +. Idk why, but that’s how my autistic brain always thought of it.
I would explain it in terms of debt. If I have 4 brownies, and then Timmy loans me 2 brownies, how many brownies do I get to eat if I “subtract” Timmy permanently if you know what I mean.
You’re subtracting negatives, which is a good thing. If we subtract negatives it means we are going up.
The 4 is positive and the (-2) is negative. When you minus a negative it becomes a plus.
Hopefully this video explains it:
You can say, positive numbers are the heroes, negative numbers are the villains. 4+2 means then that you had 4 heroes and you added another 2, so the world is now a better place with a hero value of 6. 4-2 means that you had 4 heroes but you removed 2 so the world is now at value of 2. Likewise, -4+(-2) means that you had 4 villains and added two more villains so you now have 6 villains, that’s a value of -6. Finally, 4-(-2) means that you have 4 heroes and on top of that you also remove two villains which makes the world much better space with a value of 6.
Because removing 2 villains is the same good as adding two heroes. +2 = -(-2)
Make it like a variant of Uno. You’ve got 4 points. Your opponent plays a card marked “lose 2” on you. Oh no!
Luckily you have a “reverse” or “opposite” card that you play back. How many points do you end up with?
Latest Answers