Answer:
No! Brendan has totally got the wrong idea.
Explanation:
Numbers on the right hand side of zero are said to be positive, while, the numbers on the opposite side are said to be negative.
That means Brendan's correct in saying that -1/3 lies on the opposite side of 3, since negative numbers lie on the opposite side of the positives.
But,
Negative "of" a number is the same number with opposite sign.
That is, if a number is 3 units away from the zero, it's negative will also be 3 units away from zero, but on the opposite side.
-1/3 and 3 do not lie at the same distance from zero.
-1/3 would be approached before -1 by walking in the negative direction whereas 3 would be approached after 1.
Therefore, Brendan is wrong as the negative of a number has opposite sign but same "magnitude".