Definition
Negative number
A negative number is a number whose value is less than zero.
Continue from this idea into connected AXIO math.
What it means
Zero is the reference point. Values below that reference are negative. On a number line, farther left means smaller: −5 is less than −2 even though 5 is the larger counting number. Negative numbers can describe temperatures below zero, depths below sea level, or losses.
Remember it
Left of zero on the number line; below zero in a context.
Example
At noon the temperature is 2 °C. It falls 5 degrees, so 2 − 5 = −3 °C. The value −3 is negative because it is three degrees below zero.
Watch for
A minus sign can show subtraction or a negative number. In 7 − 3 it tells you to subtract; in −3 it is part of the numeral.
Common mix-up
Among negative numbers, the value closer to zero is greater: −2 > −5.
Exact meaning
A negative number has a value less than zero. On a horizontal number line it lies to the left of zero, and ordinary numeral notation shows it with a minus sign.