Is this 2 – 1 or is this 1 – 2? How do I subtract 2 from 1?

1 – 2 = ? You can’t do this! Or can you?

Reality Check! Have you gone shopping? If you have, you already know how this works!

Here’s how: You are in the store. You are really thirsty for a fruit drink. It costs two dollars. But you only have a dollar. Your parent or your best friend is with you. You walk out of the store after you purchased the drink. Taste’s Great! What happened?

Owing a dollar is -$1 So…, 1 – 2 is -1 So when you do a paid chore for $5, you only get $4 back! 1- 2 = -1; 5 -1 = 4

How do I subtract -1 from 4? Your dad said, “You did such a good job, I’ll let you take back the dollar you owed.” So…, $4 - (-$1) equals $5.