between 4 and 6
Chat with our AI personalities
how do you show 2/5's on a number line
12
5 is less than x can be written as 5 < x and represents the set of all values of x such that 5 is less than x - or equivalently, all values of x that are greater than 5. This would comprise the part of that number line to the right of the number 5. 5 less than x is the expression x-5 and is the one value that is 5 units to the left of x on the number line.
Well, let's take a moment to appreciate the beauty of a number line. If we start at 2 and move 5 units to the left, we end up at -3. Remember, on a number line, moving to the right means adding and moving to the left means subtracting. Just a happy little journey on the number line!
The best way to understand this is probably by thinking of the real number line:Subtracting can be thought of as switching directions as you move along the number line. For instance, 5 + 3 means you start at position 5 on the positive side of the number line and move to the right, the positive direction, 3 integral ticks. However, 5 - 3 means you switch directions. Now, you start at position 5 and move left, the negative direction, 3 integral ticks.Negation can be thought of in the same manner as subtraction; i.e. as a directional change on the number line. Using the above example, that would mean that for 5 + (-3) you would once again start at position 5 on the positive side of the number line and start to move right, since that what addition means. However, the negative sign in front of the 3 forces you to change direction, so instead you end up moving left 3 integral ticks.Now, to finally answer your question. 5 - (-3), using the number line, would again mean that you would start at position 5 on the positive side. The subtraction operation, as explained above, means that you would move left 3 ticks instead of right. However, the negation of 3, also explained above, means that you would once again switch directions, this time from left to right, and ultimately move 3 ticks that way, the positive direction. Hopefully, you can see that the end result of both 5 + 3 and 5 - (-3) has you moving 3 ticks in the same direction, that being the positive direction, which is why they can be thought of as the same operation.