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Finding a Temperature Difference Using Integer Subtraction
When finding the difference between two temperatures — one positive and one negative — the keyword difference signals subtraction. For example:
Problem: In the morning the temperature was degrees; by mid-afternoon it had dropped to degrees. What was the difference between the morning and afternoon temperatures?
- Identify what to find: the difference of the morning and afternoon temperatures.
- Write a phrase: "the difference of and ."
- Translate: .
- Simplify: Subtracting a negative is the same as adding a positive, so .
- Answer: The difference in temperatures was degrees.
This example shows how the rule arises naturally in everyday temperature calculations.
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