Rules for Addition

Rules for Addition Examples
If a and b are both positive, then a + b = |a| + |b| 3 + 7 = 10
If a and b are both negative, then a + b = -(|a| + |b|) -6 + (-2) = -(6 + 2) = -8
If a is positive and b is negative and a has the greater absolute value, then a + b = |a| - |b| 8 + (-5) = 8 - 5 = 3
If a is positive and b is negative and b has the greater absolute value, then a + b = -(|b| - |a|) 4 + (-9) = -(9 - 4) = -5
If a and b are opposites, then a + b = 0 2 + (-2) = 0


Back to Formula