Identify the operation: You are asked to find the sum of 13 and -4, which means you are adding a positive number and a negative number.
Rewrite the expression to understand it better: \$13 + (-4)\( can be seen as \)13 - 4$ because adding a negative number is the same as subtracting the positive value.
Perform the subtraction: Subtract 4 from 13, which involves finding the difference between the two numbers.
Calculate the difference: Since 13 is greater than 4, subtracting 4 from 13 will give a positive result.
Write the final expression for the sum: The result of \$13 + (-4)\( is the same as \)13 - 4$, which simplifies to the difference you calculated.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Integer Addition and Subtraction
Integer addition and subtraction involve combining positive and negative whole numbers. Adding a negative number is equivalent to subtracting its absolute value, so 13 + (-4) means moving 4 units left from 13 on the number line.
The number line is a visual tool to understand addition and subtraction of integers. Positive numbers lie to the right of zero, and negative numbers to the left. Adding a negative number moves left, while adding a positive number moves right.
Absolute value measures the distance of a number from zero, regardless of direction. When adding a negative number, its absolute value helps determine how far to move left on the number line, as in 13 + (-4), where 4 is the absolute value.