Positive and Negative Numbers · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Positive and Negative Numbers

Mathematics · Addition & Subtraction · ages 11-13
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which temperature is colder, -5°C or 2°C?

    -6-5-4-3-2-10123
    • -5°C
    • 2°C
    • They are equally cold

  2. In a building, which floor sits below the ground floor, labeled 0?

    -3-2-10123
    • Floor 2
    • Floor -1
    • Floor 0

  3. Every negative number is smaller than every positive number.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Miguel wants 4 + (-2) and __ + (-3) to have the same value. He fills the box with a digit from 1 to 6. What digit goes in the box?

    Answer: ______________

  5. Which equation is true?

    • |5| + (-5) = |7| - 7
    • |5| + 5 = |7| - 7
    • |5| - 5 = |7| + 7
    • |5| + 5 = 7 + 7

  6. Tara uses the digits 1 to 6, each at most one time, to fill the boxes in her expressions. Her first expression is 6 + (-1). Which expression can be her second one so that it has the same value as the first?

    • 2 + 3
    • 5 + 2
    • 4 - 2
    • 3 + 1

  7. Yesterday's temperature was -3°C. Today it is 5°C. How many degrees warmer is today?

    • 2°C
    • 8°C
    • -8°C

  8. True or false: 3 - (-2) has the same value as 3 + 2.

    Circle one:   True   False

  9. Leo says 5 - (-2) = 3 because subtracting always makes a number smaller. What is his mistake?

    • He added instead of subtracting
    • He read the number line backwards
    • He forgot the sign flip

  10. Lena picks numbers from the integers -9 to 9 to build two powers. She wants one power to come out positive and the other to come out negative. Which pair of powers could she make?

    • (-2)^3 and 2^3
    • (-3)^2 and 3^2
    • (-4)^2 and (-2)^4
    • (-2)^2 and (-3)^2
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Positive and Negative Numbers W1-mt_9QzSnn8m80-s1

  1. -5°C · -5°C sits below zero on the number line, while 2°C sits above zero, so -5°C is colder.
  2. Floor -1 · Floor -1 is one level below the ground floor, floor 0.
  3. True · Negative numbers sit to the left of zero and positive numbers sit to the right, so a negative number is always less than a positive one.
  4. 5 · Both expressions equal 2, so the missing digit is 5.
  5. |5| + (-5) = |7| - 7 · Both sides equal 0: 5 + (-5) = 0 and 7 - 7 = 0.
  6. 2 + 3 · 6 + (-1) equals 5, and 2 + 3 also equals 5, so the two expressions match.
  7. 8°C · Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding: 5 - (-3) = 5 + 3 = 8.
  8. True · True. Subtracting a negative flips the direction, so 3 - (-2) = 3 + 2 = 5.
  9. He forgot the sign flip · Subtracting a negative flips the sign, so 5 - (-2) = 5 + 2 = 7, not 3.
  10. (-2)^3 and 2^3 · (-2)^3 = -8 is negative and 2^3 = 8 is positive, so one power is negative and the other is positive.
Worksheet · LightMySky