Question

what is the difference between -5 and 3?

Explanation:

Identify the given numbers

We are given two integers on the number line:

$$ a = -5,\quad b = 3 $$

Define the difference between two numbers

The difference (or distance) between two values is their absolute difference:

$$ \text{Difference} = |a - b| $$

Calculate the absolute difference

Substitute the values into the formula:

$$ |-5 - 3| = |-8| = 8 $$

Alternatively, subtracting the smaller number from the larger number:

$$ 3 - (-5) = 3 + 5 = 8 $$

Answer:

What is the difference between \(-5\) and \(3\)?
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