Question

The problem:

6 − (− 7) = 13
is an example where we see that subtracting a negative changes the operation to

Answer 1

Answer: adding a positive

Explanation:

Subtracting a negative changes the operation to adding a positive.

This is what one of the rules for integer operations states:

`\stackrel{\star}{\bullet}\phantom{12}\bf{a-(-b)=a+b}`

where a and b are integers.

Let's see some examples.

• 3 - (-2) = 3 + 2 = 5
• 7 - (-4) = 7 + 4 = 11
• 9 -(-5) = 9 + 5 = 14