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You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Sometime a negative number seems like a ghost
\n" ); document.write( "and sometimes it's clearly visible.
\n" ); document.write( "It depends on what you're using them for.
\n" ); document.write( "(A)
\n" ); document.write( "Let's say I'm on a railroad track that runs east and west.
\n" ); document.write( "If I want to, I can say that if I go west, that's positive
\n" ); document.write( "motion, and if I go east, that's negative motion.
\n" ); document.write( "OK, I go W 1 mile, I go E 2 miles, then I go W 6 miles.
\n" ); document.write( "How far am I from where I started?
\n" ); document.write( "I went W +1 miles
\n" ); document.write( "I went E -2 miles
\n" ); document.write( "I went W +6 miles
\n" ); document.write( "1 - 2 + 6 = +5 miles
\n" ); document.write( "I am 5 miles west of where I started.
\n" ); document.write( "(B)
\n" ); document.write( "Let's say I owe you $5. I've got the $5, so
\n" ); document.write( "it's a (+) on my records until it's spent.
\n" ); document.write( "You're missing the $5, so it's a (-) on your
\n" ); document.write( "records until I pay it back.
\n" ); document.write( "What does -$5 look like? Nobody's ever seen one,
\n" ); document.write( "but recordkeeping can't work without it.
\n" ); document.write( "Think of it as an empty pocket that only holds
\n" ); document.write( "a single $5 bill, and you're always reminded
\n" ); document.write( "that it's empty and needs to be filled.
\n" ); document.write( "It's the -$5 pocket.
\n" ); document.write( "Does that help at all? You need to keep
\n" ); document.write( "thinking about it. \n" ); document.write( "