negative 9 minus negative 4
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the result of subtracting negative 4 from negative 9. To solve this, we will apply the rule that subtracting a negative number is the same as adding its positive counterpart.
Answer
$-5$
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is $-5$.
Steps to Solve
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Identify the operation We need to subtract negative 4 from negative 9. This can be written as: $$ -9 - (-4) $$
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Apply the rule for subtracting a negative Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding its positive counterpart. So we can rewrite the equation: $$ -9 - (-4) = -9 + 4 $$
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Perform the addition Now we simply need to add -9 and 4: $$ -9 + 4 = -5 $$
The final answer is $-5$.
More Information
The result of subtracting negative numbers often leads to confusion, but remember that subtracting a negative is like adding a positive!
Tips
- A common mistake is misapplying the rule and treating the subtraction of a negative as multiplication or ignoring the signs.
- To avoid this, always remember that subtracting a negative changes the operation to addition.
