Rewrite as Addition: Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding its positive counterpart. Let's rewrite the subtraction of a negative number as the addition of a positive number.−7−(−4) becomes −7+4.
Determine Sign: Now we need to determine if the final answer will be positive or negative. We compare the absolute values of the numbers we are adding.The absolute value of −7 is 7, and the absolute value of 4 is 4. Since 7 is greater than 4, the answer will be negative.
Perform Addition: We add the numbers, keeping in mind that the result will be negative because the larger absolute value is from a negative number.7−4=3Since we determined the answer will be negative, the result is −3.
Final Result: We have completed the calculation without any mathematical errors, and we have found the result of the subtraction.−7−(−4)=−3
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