Question

Which of the following situations best completes the following statement:

When subtracting an integer is the same as _____.

multiplying its opposite
adding its opposite
subtracting its opposite
dividing its opposite

Answer 1

When subtracting an integer is the same as **adding its opposite**.

For example, subtracting 3 can be represented as:

\[
-3 = +(-3)
\]

So, for any integer \( a \):

\[
a - b = a + (-b)
\]

This means that subtracting \( b \) is equivalent to adding the opposite of \( b \).