Key Concepts

Key Concepts

• Opposite Notation
  • \(-a\) means the opposite of the number \(a\)
  • The notation \(-a\) is read the opposite of \(a.\)
• Absolute Value Notation
  • The absolute value of a number \(n\) is written as \(|n|\).
  • \(|n|\ge 0\) for all numbers.

Glossary

absolute value

The absolute value of a number is its distance from 0 on the number line.

integers

Integers are counting numbers, their opposites, and zero ... –3, –2, –1, 0, 1, 2, 3 ...

negative number

A negative number is less than zero.

opposites

The opposite of a number is the number that is the same distance from zero on the number line, but on the opposite side of zero.