± Integer Operations

Adding Integers

Same signs → add the absolute values and keep the sign. −3 + (−5) = −8. Different signs → subtract the smaller absolute value from the larger and take the sign of the larger: −7 + 4 = −3 (7 wins, keep the −).

Subtracting Integers

"Subtracting is adding the opposite." Change subtraction to addition and flip the sign of the second number: 5 − (−3) = 5 + 3 = 8. Then apply the addition rules.

Multiplying and Dividing — Sign Rules

• Same signs → positive: (−4)(−3) = +12    12 ÷ 3 = +4
• Different signs → negative: (−4)(3) = −12    −12 ÷ 3 = −4

A simple memory trick: think of negative as "bad" and positive as "good." Good × good = good. Bad × bad = good. Good × bad = bad.