Integers on the number line
Grade 8 math lesson on plotting and understanding integers on the number line. Students learn to place positive and negative integers on a number line, understand absolute value, and compare integers using the number line to determine which is greater.
Key Concepts
Property Integers include all counting numbers, their opposites, and zero. They can be positive, negative, or zero, and are shown as tick marks on a number line.
Examples The integer $ 4$ is located 4 units to the left of 0. The set of integers is shown as: $\{..., 2, 1, 0, 1, 2, ...\}$ The set of whole numbers is shown as: $\{0, 1, 2, 3, ...\}$.
Explanation Think of a number line as a thermometer. Positive numbers are the warm temperatures above zero, and negative numbers are the freezing temperatures below. Zero is the starting point! An integer that is not a whole number is any negative number, like $ 10$.
Common Questions
What are integers?
Integers are the set of whole numbers and their negatives: ..., -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, ... Integers do not include fractions or decimals. Zero is an integer that is neither positive nor negative.
How do you plot integers on a number line?
Draw a horizontal line with 0 in the middle. Positive integers go to the right of 0, and negative integers go to the left of 0. Each integer is placed at an equal distance from its neighbors.
How do you compare integers using a number line?
On a number line, integers further to the right are greater. So 3 > -5, and -2 > -7. A number is greater than all numbers to its left and less than all numbers to its right.
What is absolute value?
The absolute value of an integer is its distance from 0 on the number line, always non-negative. The absolute value of 5 is 5, and the absolute value of -5 is also 5, written as |5| = |-5| = 5.