Negatives Addition and Subtraction Textbook Exercise - Corbettmaths - Free Printable

Let’s solve each part of Question 1 step by step. We’re dealing with addition and subtraction involving negative numbers. Remember:

- Subtracting a bigger number from a smaller one gives a negative result.
- Adding a positive to a negative: think of it as moving right on the number line from the negative.
- Subtracting a positive from a negative makes it more negative (like going further left).

We’ll go through each letter carefully.

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(a) 2 – 3
Start at 2, move 3 steps left → ends at -1

(b) 3 – 5
Start at 3, move 5 steps left → ends at -2

(c) 4 – 9
Start at 4, move 9 steps left → ends at -5

(d) 1 – 5
Start at 1, move 5 steps left → ends at -4

(e) 5 – 7
Start at 5, move 7 steps left → ends at -2

(f) 6 – 7
Start at 6, move 7 steps left → ends at -1

(g) 8 – 11
Start at 8, move 11 steps left → ends at -3

(h) 2 – 10
Start at 2, move 10 steps left → ends at -8

(i) -2 + 4
Start at -2, move 4 steps right → ends at 2

(j) -3 + 9
Start at -3, move 9 steps right → ends at 6

(k) -7 + 10
Start at -7, move 10 steps right → ends at 3

(l) -6 + 1
Start at -6, move 1 step right → ends at -5

(m) -5 + 8
Start at -5, move 8 steps right → ends at 3

(n) -9 + 7
Start at -9, move 7 steps right → ends at -2

(o) -20 + 11
Start at -20, move 11 steps right → ends at -9

(p) -12 + 18
Start at -12, move 18 steps right → ends at 6

(q) -3 – 2
Start at -3, move 2 steps left → ends at -5

(r) -4 – 1
Start at -4, move 1 step left → ends at -5

(s) -6 – 3
Start at -6, move 3 steps left → ends at -9

(t) -1 – 5
Start at -1, move 5 steps left → ends at -6

(u) -7 – 3
Start at -7, move 3 steps left → ends at -10

(v) -8 – 5
Start at -8, move 5 steps left → ends at -13

(w) -9 – 12
Start at -9, move 12 steps left → ends at -21

(x) -15 – 13
Start at -15, move 13 steps left → ends at -28

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Double-checking a few tricky ones:

- (o) -20 + 11: 20 - 11 = 9, but since we started at -20 and added less than 20, still negative → -9 ✔️
- (p) -12 + 18: 18 - 12 = 6, and since 18 > 12, answer is positive → 6 ✔️
- (w) -9 -12: same as -(9+12) = -21 ✔️
- (x) -15 -13: same as -(15+13) = -28 ✔️

All look correct.

Final Answer:
(a) -1
(b) -2
(c) -5
(d) -4
(e) -2
(f) -1
(g) -3
(h) -8
(i) 2
(j) 6
(k) 3
(l) -5
(m) 3
(n) -2
(o) -9
(p) 6
(q) -5
(r) -5
(s) -9
(t) -6
(u) -10
(v) -13
(w) -21
(x) -28