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Negative and positive number line
Number line from −10 to 10 · 1 page
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This number line runs from −10 to 10, with a heavier tick at zero so kids can see the two sides. Negative numbers are to the left of zero and positive numbers to the right. The farther left a number is, the smaller it is, which is why −8 is less than −3 even though 8 is more than 3.
The Common Core standards introduce negative numbers in 6th grade (6.NS.C.5–C.7), using the number line to explain opposites, ordering and absolute value. In 7th grade, students add and subtract integers on it. Each sheet has four lines; set From to −20 or −100 for a wider range, or switch to Some missing for practice.
Tips for using it
- Talk about temperatures and elevations: 5 degrees below zero is −5.
- Show opposites by folding the line at zero: 4 lands on −4.
- For −3 + 5, start at −3 and hop five to the right to land on 2.
Variations
All printable number lineQuestions
How do you add negative numbers on a number line?
Start at the first number. Adding a positive number moves right; adding a negative number moves left. For 2 + (−6), start at 2 and move six to the left, landing on −4.
Is −5 bigger or smaller than −2?
Smaller. On the number line, −5 is farther to the left than −2, and numbers get smaller as you go left.