Difference between revisions of "Subtraction"
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==Subtraction as Negative Addition== | ==Subtraction as Negative Addition== | ||
| − | One problem with subtraction is that | + | One problem with subtraction is that is non-commutative, which excludes the operation from being considered in an abelian group. One way to circumvent this is to view all subtraction operations as additions of the negative. For example, 5 - 1 = 4 can not be commuted, as 1 - 5 = -4. However, if this equation is viewed a negative addition, i.e. 5 + (-1) = 4, it maintains commutativity, since (-1) + 5 = 4. |
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Arithmetic]] |
Latest revision as of 13:35, March 26, 2017
Subtraction is the mathematical function which involves the decrease of a value, the minuend, by another value, the subtrahend, which yields a directly related linear decrease in the overall value, except in the case of a negative subtrahend, in which case the value increases.
Subtraction as Negative Addition
One problem with subtraction is that is non-commutative, which excludes the operation from being considered in an abelian group. One way to circumvent this is to view all subtraction operations as additions of the negative. For example, 5 - 1 = 4 can not be commuted, as 1 - 5 = -4. However, if this equation is viewed a negative addition, i.e. 5 + (-1) = 4, it maintains commutativity, since (-1) + 5 = 4.