A number line is a visual tool that shows numbers in order. Positive numbers are to the right of zero, and negative numbers are to the left. Zero is the reference point that separates positive and negative numbers.
To plot negative three on the number line, we start at zero and move three units to the left. Counting backwards: zero, negative one, negative two, negative three. We place a red marker at the position of negative three.
To plot positive four on the number line, we start at zero and move four units to the right. Counting forwards: zero, one, two, three, four. We place a blue marker at the position of four.
Now let's compare negative three and four on the number line. On a number line, numbers increase in value from left to right. Since four is positioned to the right of negative three, we can see that four is greater than negative three.
Mathematically, we write that negative three is less than four, and four is greater than negative three. In real-world terms, negative three degrees Celsius is colder than four degrees Celsius, so four degrees is warmer, or greater. This shows that any positive number is always greater than any negative number, which can be easily visualized using a number line.