Numbers were probably invented for the purpose of counting animals or other possessions. Numbering systems were originally thought to only have words for ‘one’, ‘two’ and ‘many’, as that was all that was needed. Further developments allowed herds to be counted, and as trade between people increased, the number system we use today was developed – including zero and negative numbers. Number names are almost always structured using a logical procedure so that they can express numbers that are to all intents and purposes, infinite.
Numbers are used to represent:
![]() Pause for thought Reflect on how and where your students may have encountered negative numbers. They may, for example, have come across the idea that the temperature in an ice cream freezer is below zero. Where else might they have encountered these ideas? |
OpenLearn - Using a number line and the expression ‘Imagine if …’: positive and negative numbers Except for third party materials and otherwise, this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence, full copyright detail can be found in the acknowledgements section. Please see full copyright statement for details.