Luis owes the school cafeteria $10, which means that he has a –$10 balance on his lunch account.

Question

Which situation illustrates the idea of a number and its opposite?

Answer 1

To illustrate the idea of a number and its opposite, consider Luis' lunch account balance. His balance is –$10, which means he owes money to the cafeteria. The opposite of –$10 is +$10, which represents having that amount as a credit or balance in his account.

Here’s a situation that illustrates this concept:

1. Luis has a debt of $10, which can be represented as –$10.
2. If he were to earn or receive a gift of $10, his new balance would be +$10, illustrating the opposite of his initial debt.

In summary, –$10 (debt) and +$10 (credit) are two numbers that represent opposite financial situations.