negative 4 minus negative 7
Understand the Problem
The question is asking us to perform the arithmetic operation of subtracting negative 7 from negative 4. This involves understanding how to handle negative numbers in subtraction.
Answer
$3$
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is $3$.
Steps to Solve
- Identify the numbers to subtract
We need to subtract $-7$ from $-4$. This can be written as:
$$ -4 - (-7) $$
- Apply the Rule of Subtracting Negative Numbers
Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding its positive counterpart. Therefore, we rewrite the expression:
$$ -4 + 7 $$
- Perform the Addition
Now we need to calculate $-4 + 7$. Since $7$ is a greater positive value compared to $-4$, we can visualize it as moving to the right on the number line:
$$ -4 + 7 = 3 $$
The final answer is $3$.
More Information
When subtracting a negative number, you are effectively adding that number's positive value. This can help simplify calculations involving negative numbers.
Tips
- Confusing subtraction of negative numbers with addition and incorrectly performing the operation.
- Forgetting that subtracting a negative results in a positive.
