Imagine you're standing at the starting line of a race, and you want to know how far you are from the finish line. If you're closer to the finish line, we can say you have a positive distance from the finish line. But if you're farther away from the finish line, we can say you have a negative distance from the finish line.
Positive numbers are like taking steps forward, and negative numbers are like taking steps backwards. Positive numbers are bigger than zero, and negative numbers are smaller than zero.
This is similar to temperatures, for example, if you have a fever and your temperature is higher than 37°C, we say you have a positive temperature. But if you have a cold, and your temperature is below 37°C, we say you have a negative temperature.
In mathematics, positive and negative values are used to describe the magnitude and direction of numbers.
Positive numbers are greater than zero and are often used to describe quantities that are in the opposite direction of negative numbers. For example, a positive temperature means the temperature is above 0°C, and a positive distance means that a location is away from a certain reference point.
Negative numbers are less than zero and are often used to describe quantities that are in the opposite direction of positive numbers. For example, a negative temperature means the temperature is below 0°C, and a negative distance means that a location is closer to a certain reference point than the reference point itself.
Positive and negative values are also used in coordinate systems, where they can be used to describe the location of points on a graph or plane.