Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Subtraction of Integers
- Subtraction of a Positive Integer
- Summary
- What’s Next?
In the previous segment, we learnt about the Additive inverse of integers. In this segment, we will learn about subtraction of integers.
How to Subtract integers?
Integers increase in value as we move towards the right on the number line. And they decrease in value as we move towards the left.
There are two types of subtraction of integers:
- Subtracting a positive integer from any integer, which we will discuss in this segment.
- Subtracting a negative integer from any integer, which we will discuss in the next segment.
Subtraction of a positive integer
Subtracting a positive integer leads to a decrease in the value of an integer. Hence, to subtract a positive integer we move to the left on the number line.
Now, a positive integer can be subtracted from either a positive integer or a negative integer.
Case 1: Subtracting a positive integer from a positive integer
(i) 6 – 2 = ?
The above question can be written as ‘2 less than 6’ and on the number line less means to
subtract, that is, to move to the left.
2 steps to the left
-8 -7 -6
-5 -4
-3 -2 –
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
6 – 2 = 4
