Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
When placed after special sets of numbers, plus and minus signs are used to indicate that only positive numbers and negative numbers are included, respectively. For example, Z + {\displaystyle \mathbb {Z} ^{+}} is the set of all positive integers and Z − {\displaystyle \mathbb {Z} ^{-}} is the set of all negative integers.
The plus–minus sign or plus-or-minus sign (±) and the complementary minus-or-plus sign (∓) are symbols with broadly similar multiple meanings. In mathematics , the ± sign generally indicates a choice of exactly two possible values, one of which is obtained through addition and the other through subtraction .
The plus and minus symbols are used to show the sign of a number. In mathematics, the sign of a real number is its property of being either positive, negative, or 0.Depending on local conventions, zero may be considered as having its own unique sign, having no sign, or having both positive and negative sign.
As an example, −6 + 4 = −2; because −6 and 4 have different signs, their absolute values are subtracted, and since the absolute value of the negative term is larger, the answer is negative. Although this definition can be useful for concrete problems, the number of cases to consider complicates proofs unnecessarily.
This thermometer is indicating a negative Fahrenheit temperature (−4 °F). In mathematics, a negative number is the opposite of a positive real number. [1] Equivalently, a negative number is a real number that is less than zero. Negative numbers are often used to represent the magnitude of a loss or deficiency.
For example, if zeroes are inserted into arbitrary positions of a divergent series, it is possible to arrive at results that are not self-consistent, let alone consistent with other methods. In particular, the step 4c = 0 + 4 + 0 + 8 + ⋯ is not justified by the additive identity law alone. For an extreme example, appending a single zero to ...
In elementary mathematics, the additive inverse is often referred to as the opposite number, [3] [4] or its negative. [5] The unary operation of arithmetic negation [6] is closely related to subtraction [7] and is important in solving algebraic equations. [8] Not all sets where addition is defined have an additive inverse, such as the natural ...
Once "-5" is defined it can be used in expressions like any other number; that is a separate matter. Incidentally, you are wrong that the symbology does not tell you if 7 - 4 means "seven minus four" or "seven plus negative four". "7 - 4" definitely does not mean "seven plus negative four; this is written as "7 + (-4)". "Seven minus four" and ...