The Number Line Extended

Pre-Algebra · Axiom Academy

LESSON The Number Line Extended Reach left of zero and the number line keeps going — every positive number has a mirror-image negative, and position alone tells you which numbers are bigger. 1. Every Positive Has a Mirror Picture a mirror standing straight up at zero . For each positive number to the right, its reflection lands the same distance to the left . That reflection is the negative number , written with a minus sign: the mirror of 3 is -3 . Same distance from zero, opposite sides Starting at zero, step left one unit at a time. Each step lands on the next negative number — first -1 , then -2 , then -3 , and the arrow tells you it never stops. Together with the positives and zero, these make up the integers . To plot a number, start at zero and count: a positive means count right , a negative means count left . Every integer lands on exactly one spot. Start at 0 , count 4 units to the right. Start at 0 , count 2 units to the left. Zero is the starting point itself — no steps either way. Start at 0 , count 4 units to the left. Here is the rule that makes negatives easy: as you move right along the line, the numbers increase . So reading left to right, the values climb in order. Watch the value rise as the marker slides right. For negatives, the rule flips your intuition: -5 < -2 , because -5 sits farther left . The negative that looks bigger is actually smaller. Think of temperature — is colder than .

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