lesson
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Imagine checking the winter weather and seeing −2∘F in Chicago and −10∘F in Minneapolis. Which city is actually warmer?
Even though 10 looks larger than 2, −2∘F is warmer because −2 is greater than −10.
To see why this works every single time, let's look at how numbers sit on a number line.
The Number Line Rule
An integer is any whole number that is positive, negative, or zero.
On a horizontal number line, values always get greater as you move right and less as you move left.
📊A clean horizontal number line centered at 0, spanning from -6 to +6 with equal tick spacing. Distinct color coding: positive numbers in blue on the right, negative numbers in red on the left, and 0 in gray at the center. Two large directional banner arrows above and below: a top green arrow pointing right labeled 'Greater (Moves Right ->)' and a bottom orange arrow pointing left labeled '<- Lesser (Moves Left)'. Clear typography, responsive card layout with #ffffff background and subtle border.
Whenever you compare two integers, the number farther to the right is always the larger value.
How does this rule make comparing positive and negative numbers straightforward?
Comparing Positives and Negatives
Every positive integer sits to the right of zero, while every negative integer sits to the left of zero.
Because right means greater, any positive integer is always greater than any negative integer.
For example, let's compare −4 and 1. Since 1 is to the right of −4, we write −4<1 (read as "−4 is less than 1").