<P> In mathematics , a negative number is a real number that is less than zero . Negative numbers represent opposites . If positive represents a movement to the right , negative represents a movement to the left . If positive represents above sea level , then negative represents below sea level . If positive represents a deposit , negative represents a withdrawal . They are often used to represent the magnitude of a loss or deficiency . A debt that is owed may be thought of as a negative asset , a decrease in some quantity may be thought of as a negative increase . If a quantity may have either of two opposite senses , then one may choose to distinguish between those senses -- perhaps arbitrarily -- as positive and negative . In the medical context of fighting a tumor , an expansion could be thought of as a negative shrinkage . Negative numbers are used to describe values on a scale that goes below zero , such as the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales for temperature . The laws of arithmetic for negative numbers ensure that the common sense idea of an opposite is reflected in arithmetic . For example , − ( − 3 ) = 3 because the opposite of an opposite is the original thing . </P>
<P> In mathematics , a negative number is a real number that is less than zero . Negative numbers represent opposites . If positive represents a movement to the right , negative represents a movement to the left . If positive represents above sea level , then negative represents below sea level . If positive represents a deposit , negative represents a withdrawal . They are often used to represent the magnitude of a loss or deficiency . A debt that is owed may be thought of as a negative asset , a decrease in some quantity may be thought of as a negative increase . If a quantity may have either of two opposite senses , then one may choose to distinguish between those senses -- perhaps arbitrarily -- as positive and negative . In the medical context of fighting a tumor , an expansion could be thought of as a negative shrinkage . Negative numbers are used to describe values on a scale that goes below zero , such as the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales for temperature . The laws of arithmetic for negative numbers ensure that the common sense idea of an opposite is reflected in arithmetic . For example , − ( − 3 ) = 3 because the opposite of an opposite is the original thing . </P>
where do we use negative numbers in everyday life
where do we use negative numbers in everyday life
a scale that goes below zero , such as the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales for temperature
a scale that goes below zero , such as the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales for temperature