Example

Subtracting $7 - 5andand-7 - (-5)$

Apply the take-away model of subtraction to a new pair of same-sign problems:

  • **$7 - 5 = 2:Startwith:** Start with {7}positivesandtakeawaypositives and take away{5}positives.Twopositivesremain,givingaresultofpositives. Two positives remain, giving a result of{2}$.
  • 7(5)=2-7 - (-5) = -2: Start with 7{7} negatives and take away 5{5} negatives. Two negatives remain, giving a result of 2{-2}.

As with the earlier $5 - 3andand-5 - (-3)$ examples, the structure is the same in both cases: remove counters of the same color from a larger collection of that color. The answer carries the sign of the counters that are left.

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Updated 2026-04-21

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