How to subtract negative numbers - GRE Quantitative Reasoning
Card 0 of 3
If 
and 
are integers such that 
and 
, what is the smallest possible value of 
?
If
To make 
as small as possible, let 
be as small as possible 
, and subtract the largest value of possible 
:
To make
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Quantity A: 
Quantity B: 
Quantity A:
Quantity B:
Since both quantities have an 
, you can ignore this variable, which will give you 
and 
for quantities A and B, respectively. Since 
and 
are both negative numbers, 
must be bigger than 
, which means that no matter what numbers they are, Quantity A must be bigger.
Since both quantities have an
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Quantity A:
Quantity B:
Which of the following is true?
Quantity A:
Quantity B:
Which of the following is true?
A problem like this one is very easy. All you need to do is manage your arithmetic well. Remember that when you subtract a negative number, this is the same as adding the positive of that number. Therefore, you can rewrite each of your quantities:
Quantity A:
Using a calculator, this comes out to be: 
Quantity B:
Using a calculator, this comes out to be: 
Therefore, quantity B is larger.
A problem like this one is very easy. All you need to do is manage your arithmetic well. Remember that when you subtract a negative number, this is the same as adding the positive of that number. Therefore, you can rewrite each of your quantities:
Quantity A:
Using a calculator, this comes out to be:
Quantity B:
Using a calculator, this comes out to be:
Therefore, quantity B is larger.
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