What
are integers?
Integers
are either positive or negative, but they are not decimals and are not
fractions.
Before
you can understand integers you need to understand operation signs.
An operation sign tells you what to do in a problem. It tells you to
add, subtract, multiply or divide. The problem (4 + 3) has an addition
operation sign, which means that you are adding the two numbers 4 and
3. The problem (9 x 5) has the multiplication operation sign, which
means that you multiply to solve the problem.
What
is a positive integer?
A
positive integer has a (+) or addition
sign in front of the number and looks like ( 9 or (+ 9). Did
you notice a positive integer doesn't need a sign? Think
of (+4) as your have 4 cents.
What
is a negative integer?
A
negative integer has a (-) or negative
sign in front of the number and looks like (- 12) when written on a
computer. You can think of a negative integer as owing someone something.
Think of it as (-7) means owing someone 7 cents.
Zero
in neither positive or negative and is always larger than a negative
integer.
Positive
integers are always larger than zero and any negative number.
The
larger a positive integer is the bigger it is. Therefore a +7 is greater
than a +5, written another way +7 > +5.
The
larger a negative integer is the smaller in value it is - think of (-
6) and (- 7), which is it better to do - Owe someone 6 cents or 5 cents
- why 5 cents of course. Therefore (-6) < (-5).
When
written on a number line integers would look like this:
_____________________________________________________
(-6) (-5) (-4)
(-3) (-2) (-1) O (+1) (+2) (+3) (+4) (+5) (+6)
and
so on
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