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What is the Difference Between Two Negative Integers?

Published in Math Fundamentals 1 min read

The difference between two negative integers can be either positive or negative, depending on their values.

To understand this, let's consider the general form of the question: What is (-a) - (-b), where a and b are positive integers? This simplifies to -a + b, or b - a.

  • If b > a: Then b - a is a positive integer.
  • If b < a: Then b - a is a negative integer.
  • If b = a: Then b - a is zero.

Here are a few examples:

  • Example 1: Positive Difference (-2) - (-5) = -2 + 5 = 3. Here, the result is a positive integer (3).

  • Example 2: Negative Difference (-5) - (-2) = -5 + 2 = -3. Here, the result is a negative integer (-3).

  • Example 3: Zero Difference (-5) - (-5) = -5 + 5 = 0. Here, the result is zero.

Therefore, the difference between two negative integers can be positive, negative, or zero.

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