Definition: Opposite numbers are two numbers that lie the same distance from zero on the number line but on opposite sides, such as 6 and -6.
What are opposites?
Opposites are a pair of numbers with the same absolute value and different signs. They are mirror images across zero. The opposite of 11 is -11, and the opposite of -4.5 is 4.5.
How do you write the opposite?
Put a negative sign in front of the number. The opposite of n is -n. The expression -(-9) reads the opposite of negative 9, and equals 9, because the opposite of the opposite brings you back to the start.
What is special about their sum?
Opposites add to zero. For example, 14 + (-14) = 0. This fact is why a gain of 14 points followed by a loss of 14 points leaves your score unchanged.
Where does zero fit in?
Zero is its own opposite, since -0 = 0. This is the only number with this property.
What is the common confusion?
A negative sign does not always mean the number is negative. If x = -3, then -x = 3, which is positive. Read -x as the opposite of x.