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Let's locate negative 2 on the number line.
Since negative 2 is less than 0, we'll move two steps left from zero, where each step represents one whole number as follows:
Now let's look at the operation in the exercise.
Since the operation is
And since 3 is greater than 0, we'll move three steps right from negative 2, where each step represents one whole number as follows:
We can see that we arrived at the number 1.
a is negative number.
b is negative number.
What is the sum of a+b?
The first number in tells you your starting position on the number line. Think of it like: 'I'm standing at -2, now I need to move 3 steps in the positive direction.'
Look at the sign of the number you're adding:
Remember: positive numbers are on the right side of zero, negative numbers are on the left. When adding, you're always moving toward the sign of the number you're adding.
Yes! Think of it as: . But using the number line helps you visualize what's happening, especially with negative numbers.
Because you moved more steps to the right (+3) than your starting position was to the left (-2). Since 3 > 2, you end up in the positive region of the number line.
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