Learning Outcomes
- Translate word phrases that contain negative numbers, or opposites
Now we can translate word phrases into expressions with integers. Look for words that indicate a negative sign. For example, the word negative in “negative twenty” indicates [latex]-20[/latex]. So does the word opposite in “the opposite of [latex]20\text{.''}[/latex]
Example
Translate each phrase into an expression with integers:
- The opposite of positive fourteen
- The opposite of [latex]-11[/latex]
- Negative sixteen
- Two minus negative seven
Solution:
- The opposite of positive fourteen: [latex]-14[/latex]
- The opposite of [latex]−11[/latex]: [latex]-\left(-11\right)[/latex]
- Negative sixteen: [latex]-16[/latex]
- Two minus negative seven: [latex]2-\left(-7\right)[/latex]
As we saw at the start of this section, negative numbers are needed to describe many real-world situations. We’ll look at some more applications of negative numbers in the next example.
example
Translate into an expression with integers:
- The temperature is [latex]12[/latex] degrees Fahrenheit below zero.
- The football team had a gain of [latex]3[/latex] yards.
- The elevation of the Dead Sea is [latex]1,302[/latex] feet below sea level.
- A checking account is overdrawn by [latex]$40[/latex]