Show WorkingWorked example 1: calculating with negative numbers
Work out −7 + 8.
- Start at −7 on a number line. Adding 8 means moving 8 places up (to the right).
- It takes 7 places to get up to 0, then 1 more, so you end at 1.
- So −7 + 8 = 1.
Answer 1
NumberFoundation and Higher
Negative numbers GCSE questions with answers
6 negative numbers questions to try, each with the answer and the full working one tap away. Every question here was made and worked out by the Show Working maths engine, not typed in by hand.
Negative numbers questions ask you to add, subtract, multiply and divide with numbers below zero, often in real settings like temperatures. The marks come from getting the sign right at every step.
01 / Quiz yourselfTry it, then tap to check
Negative numbers questions to try
Work each one out on paper first. Then open the answer and compare your working with ours, step by step.
01 / Calculating with negative numbersBoth tiers
Work out −7 + 20.
Show the answer and working
- Start at −7 on a number line. Adding 20 means moving 20 places up (to the right).
- It takes 7 places to get up to 0, then 13 more, so you end at 13.
- So −7 + 20 = 13.
Answer 13
02 / Calculating with negative numbersBoth tiers
Work out −48 ÷ 4.
Show the answer and working
- First divide the numbers without their signs: 48 ÷ 4 = 12.
- One number is negative and the other is positive. Different signs give a negative answer.
- So −48 ÷ 4 = −12.
Answer −12
03 / Calculating with negative numbersBoth tiers
Work out −32 ÷ 8.
Show the answer and working
- First divide the numbers without their signs: 32 ÷ 8 = 4.
- One number is negative and the other is positive. Different signs give a negative answer.
- So −32 ÷ 8 = −4.
Answer −4
04 / Calculating with negative numbersBoth tiers
Work out 9 + (−7).
Show the answer and working
- Adding a negative number is the same as subtracting: 9 + (−7) = 9 − 7.
- Start at 9 on a number line and move 7 places down (to the left). You end at 2.
- So 9 + (−7) = 2.
Answer 2
05 / Calculating with negative numbersBoth tiers
Work out −15 + 13.
Show the answer and working
- Start at −15 on a number line. Adding 13 means moving 13 places up (to the right).
- Moving 13 places up from −15 does not reach 0. You end at −2.
- So −15 + 13 = −2.
Answer −2
06 / Calculating with negative numbersBoth tiers
Work out −2 − 10.
Show the answer and working
- Start at −2 on a number line. Subtracting 10 means moving 10 places down (to the left).
- You start below 0 and go further down, to −12.
- So −2 − 10 = −12.
Answer −12
02 / What's covered1 kind of question
Negative numbers at GCSE and where marks go
- Calculating with negative numbersBoth tiers
Worked example 2: calculating with negative numbers
Work out −11 − (−12).
- Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding: −11 − (−12) = −11 + 12.
- Start at −11 and move 12 places up (to the right). You end at 1.
- So −11 − (−12) = 1.
Answer 1
A common mistake
Treating subtracting a negative like subtracting a positive. Taking away a negative number is the same as adding, so 3 − (−5) = 3 + 5 = 8, not −2.
03 / Practise itiPhone and iPad
More negative numbers questions in Show Working
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