What is the opposite point of −3 on the number line?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: 3
The opposite of a number on the number line is its additive inverse. An additive inverse is the number that produces zero when added to the original number. For −3, we need a number y such that −3 + y = 0; solving gives y = 3. Geometrically, −3 and 3 are equally distant from zero, each three units away, but they lie on opposite sides of the origin. Therefore option A is correct. Option B is the reciprocal-related value −1/3, not the additive inverse. Option C is the midpoint or origin, not the point opposite to −3, and option D is −6, which lies farther in the same negative direction rather than on the opposite side. The essential rule is that the opposite of a is −a, so the opposite of −3 is −(−3) = 3.
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct answer to this question?
3
Why is this the correct answer?
The opposite of a number on the number line is its additive inverse. An additive inverse is the number that produces zero when added to the original number. For −3, we need a number y such that −3 + y = 0; solving gives y = 3. Geometrically, −3 and 3 are equally distant from zero, each three units away, but they lie on opposite sides of the origin. Therefore option A is correct. Option B is the reciprocal-related value −1/3, not the additive inverse. Option C is the midpoint or origin, not the point opposite to −3, and option D is −6, which lies farther in the same negative direction rather than on the opposite side. The essential rule is that the opposite of a is −a, so the opposite of −3 is −(−3) = 3.
Which subject and chapter does this question cover?
This is a Class 10 Mathematics question. Chapter: Polynomials. Topic: Representing real numbers on the number line.
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