We just need to remember a rule which says: The subtraction of negative numbers is similar to addition. We start from -9 and move 5 numbers to the right that brings us to -4. Observe the following number line and apply the rule on -9 + (+5). The number line rule says, ' To add a positive number we move to the right on the number line'. This can be understood better with the help of a number line. Since we are using the sign of the greater absolute value, the answer is -4. We can see that when we start from -7 and move 4 numbers to the left, it brings us to -11.Ĭase 2: When a positive number is added to a negative number, we find their difference and use the sign of the larger absolute value in the answer. Therefore, observe the following number line, and apply the rule on -7 + (- 4). The number line rule says, ' To add a negative number we move to the left on the number line'. This can be understood with the help of a number line. In other words, the sum of two negative numbers always results in a negative number. Addition of Negative NumbersĬase 1: When a negative number is added to a negative number, we add the numbers and use the negative sign in the answer. For adding and subtracting negative numbers, we need to remember the following rules.

Negative minus negative equal positive