Key Differences Between Positive and Negative Numbers

1. What They Are:

   • Positive Numbers: These are numbers that are greater than zero. For example, $1$, $2$, $3$, and so on are all positive numbers.
   • Negative Numbers: These are numbers that are less than zero. Some examples include $-1$, $-2$, $-3$, and so forth.

2. Where They Are on the Number Line:

   • Positive numbers are found to the right of zero on the number line.
   • Negative numbers are located to the left of zero.

   For example, if you look at a number line from $-5$ to $5$, you will find $-3$ three units to the left of zero, and $3$ three units to the right.

3. Absolute Value:

   • The absolute value of a number tells us how far it is from zero, no matter which direction it is in.

   So, both $3$ and $-3$ have an absolute value of $3$. We show this as $|3| = |-3| = 3$.

4. Basic Math Operations:

   • Addition:

     • If you add a positive number, the result gets bigger.
     • If you add a negative number, the result gets smaller.

     For example, $5 + (-3) = 2$.

   • Subtraction:

     • If you subtract a positive number, the result gets smaller.
     • If you subtract a negative number, the result gets bigger.

     For example, $5 - (-3) = 8$.

5. How We Use Them in Real Life:

   • Positive numbers often show things we can count, like scores, temperatures above zero, or money we have.
   • Negative numbers can show things we owe, temperatures below zero, or losses.

Understanding the difference between positive and negative numbers is important for students in Gymnasium Year 1 to build their math skills!