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Mike says that the opposite of 5 is -5 and the absolute value of 5 is -5, is he correct?

justify your answer.

User Oniel
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1 Answer

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The sum of opposite numbers equals zero (the additive identity)
5 + -5 = 0 so the opposite of 5 is -5

The absolute value of a number is the positive distance it lies from zero on a number line.
The absolute value of 5 is 5, so Mike is not correct in his second statement.

Strangely if you swapped the two numbers then both parts would be correct:
The opposite of -5 is 5 and the absolute value of -5 is 5.
User Ben Kirby
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