Question

A general rule for adding two integers that vary in sign

Answer 1

The General rule for adding and subtracting numbers
1. Two integers with the same signs
Once 2 integers has the same sign, then just add the numbers.
For example
1. 1+1 = 2
2. 2 + 5 = 7

2. Two integers with different signs
When 2 integers has different sign, then find the difference
For example
1. 1-1 =0
2. 2 – 5 = -3

3. Two integers that vary in sign
When 2 integers vary in sign, then it will depend who which number carries the largest value
For example
1. -3 + 2 = -1
2. 2 – 1 = 1

Answer 2

The correct answer is:

When adding two integers with different signs, subtract the absolute values (the digits without signs) and keep the sign of the number with the larger absolute value.

Step-by-step explanation:

When subtracting integers, it is helpful to think of a number line. Subtracting from a number means we start at that number and travel backward on the number line.

For example, in the problem 5-8, we begin at positive 5 and go backward 8. In doing so, we go past 0. It takes 5 units to get there, which leaves us with 3 units in the negative; this means the answer is -3.

This is the same as subtracting 8-5 and taking the negative sign.