Integers are like whole numbers, but they also include negative numbers (but no fractions!). Integers can be positive (1, 2, 3), negative (–1, –2, –3), or zero (0).

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Try This:

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Would this temperature (–20) be a temperature found in the summer or winter?

The thermometer on the left reads as –39 or "39 below zero."

It is important to read thermometers accurately to determine the temperature outside. Knowing the temperature helps us to determine what clothing we should wear when we go outside. It is dangerous to go out in temperatures near 30 below zero because our skin is sensitive to frostbite and wind chill.

Any whole number greater than zero is called a positive integer. Positive integers are the numbers to the right of the zero on a number line. Any whole number less than zero is called a negative integer. Negative integers are the numbers to the left of the zero on a number line. The integer 0 (zero) is neutral. It is not positive or negative.