What is the Opposite, or Additive Inverse, of a Number?

What is the Opposite, or Additive Inverse, of a Number?

Note:

Have you ever combined two numbers together and found their sum to be zero? When that happens, those numbers are called additive inverses of each other! In this tutorial, you'll learn the definition for additive inverse and see examples of how to find the additive inverse of a given value.

Keywords:

  • inverse
  • add
  • additive inverse
  • addition
  • opposite
  • negative
  • positive
  • subtraction
  • negative sign
  • zero
  • sign
  • signs
  • different signs
  • subtract

Background Tutorials

  • Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values (e.g., temperature above/below zero, elevation above/below sea level, credits/debits, positive/negative electric charge); use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation.

      • What are Positive and Negative Numbers?What are Positive and Negative Numbers?

      What are Positive and Negative Numbers?

      Positive and negative numbers (and zero!) are the building blocks of math. This tutorial will introduce you to positive and negative numbers and show you their location on a number line. Plus, learn a special thing about the number zero!

  • Understand p + q as the number located a distance |q| from p, in the positive or negative direction depending on whether q is positive or negative. Show that a number and its opposite have a sum of 0 (are additive inverses). Interpret sums of rational numbers by describing real-world contexts.

      • How Do You Add Integers Using a Number Line?How Do You Add Integers Using a Number Line?

      How Do You Add Integers Using a Number Line?

      Combining integers? You could use a number line to help find the answer! In this tutorial, see how to use a number line to add together integers with the same sign and ones with opposite signs. Take a look!

Further Exploration

  • Understand p + q as the number located a distance |q| from p, in the positive or negative direction depending on whether q is positive or negative. Show that a number and its opposite have a sum of 0 (are additive inverses). Interpret sums of rational numbers by describing real-world contexts.

  • Understand subtraction of rational numbers as adding the additive inverse, p - q = p + (-q). Show that the distance between two rational numbers on the number line is the absolute value of their difference, and apply this principle in real-world contexts.

  • Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract rational numbers.