Basic 4Mathematics18 min

Positive and Negative Values on a Number Line

Comparing savings, debt, profit, and loss in a small class business.

Use zero as the turning point between debt and savings.

A class snack table records profit and debt. Decide which values are below zero, at zero, or above zero.

Positive and Negative Values on a Number Line illustration

Comparing savings, debt, profit, and loss in a small class business.

Count backward from 3 through zero to -4.

  1. Move left one step at a time: 3, 2, 1, 0.
  2. Keep moving left after zero: -1, -2, -3, -4.