What are negative numbers?
Year 4 counts backwards through zero, Year 5 reads negative numbers in context, and Year 6 calculates intervals across zero. Below: what it means, a worked example, the mistake to watch for and an 11+ question.
The answer
Negative numbers are numbers less than zero, written with a minus sign, like −5.
What it means
You see them on a thermometer: −5°C is 5 degrees below zero, colder than 0°C.
On a number line, negative numbers are to the left of zero. The further left a number is, the smaller it is.
A worked example
Put −3, 2, −7 and 0 in order, smallest first
- The negative numbers are smallest. −7 is further below zero than −3, so it is smaller.
- In order: −7, −3, 0, 2.
The common mistake
Thinking −8 is bigger than −3 because 8 is bigger than 3. On a number line −8 is further left, so it is smaller: −8°C is colder than −3°C.
How it comes up in the 11+
At 6 am the temperature was −4°C. By noon it was 7°C. How many degrees did the temperature rise?
Answer: 11 degrees
- Count up from −4 to 0: that is 4 degrees.
- Then from 0 to 7: that is 7 more degrees.
- 4 + 7 = 11 degrees.
Related words and practice
More maths words
Questions parents ask
Is 0 a negative number?
No. Zero is neither negative nor positive. It sits between the negative and positive numbers.
How do you find the difference between a negative and a positive number?
Count up to zero, then count on from zero, and add the two parts. From −3 to 5 is 3 + 5 = 8.
Knowing the words is half of an 11+ maths question
11+ papers use maths vocabulary without explaining it. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.