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Grade 6 · Maths · Lessons
Numbers below zero
🌡️temperature🏔️height💰owe0️⃣zero
Below zero.
The big ideaZero is where we start. Below zero is negative. Above zero is positive.

How it works

Zero is where we start. Below zero is negative. Above zero is positive.

4 degrees above zero is 4. 10 degrees below zero is −10.

Owing 80 dollars is −80.

-5-4-3-2-101234504−3
Positive to the right, negative to the left.

Example 1: Above zero

  1. The temperature is 4 degrees above zero.
  2. That is a positive number.
  3. It is 4.

Example 2: Below zero

  1. The temperature is 3 degrees below zero.
  2. That is a negative number.
  3. It is −3.

Example 3: Money

  1. Mia owes 80 dollars.
  2. Owing is the opposite of having.
  3. It is −80 dollars.

Words to know

negative number
A number below zero.
positive number
A number above zero.

Watch out

Try it

  1. A diver is 20 meters below sea level. Write it as a number.
  2. A bird flies 15 meters above the ground. Write it as a number.
  3. Which is colder: −5 or 2 degrees?
  4. What number is neither positive nor negative?
Answers: 1. −20 · 2. 15 · 3. −5 · 4. 0
For grown-upsRead a weather forecast and say temperatures below zero as negative numbers.
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