Wherefore Art Thou, Romeo
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Professor Peabody, Tom, and Rhonda decide to use a number line to check. The current temperature in Minnesota is 20°F. For the next 6 hours, the temperature will drop 5° each hour. The change in temperature is shown below on a number line.
Rhonda and Tom are puzzled by the number line and the weather forecaster's prediction.
Rhonda and Tom need to extend the number line beyond zero. There are numbers that go to the left of zero on the number line. They are called negative numbers.
Historical Note: It was not until the 16th century A.D. that it was understood that there would be numbers “less than zero.” Before that, if an answer was negative, it was regarded as absurd.