Temperature can be represented by integers relative to a chosen zero point: positive integers indicate temperatures above zero, negative integers indicate temperatures below zero, and zero marks the reference temperature. Learners compare and order temperatures on a number line, interpret opposites and distance from zero, and distinguish a lower temperature from a temperature with a greater absolute value; the focus is on integer readings, not fractional or decimal temperatures or temperature-conversion formulas.
Temperature readings can be shown as integers on a number line:
On a number line, numbers farther left represent lower temperatures. Numbers farther right represent higher temperatures.
Example: The temperatures in three cities are , , and . Order them from coldest to warmest.
Locate the integers on a number line:
Read from left to right. The temperatures are:
So, is the coldest and is the warmest.
Compare distance from zero. The temperature is degrees from zero, while is degrees from zero. Thus, has the greater absolute value, but it is still the lower temperature because it is farther left on the number line.
The opposite of is , because and are the same distance from zero on opposite sides.
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