Negative 8, on the number line, is 8 spaces left from zero. Positive 8 is 8 spaces right from zero. -8 is smaller than zero, while 8 is greater than zero!
Lets use money as an example. lets say you have a bank account with eight dollars in it. you pick something up at a gift shop that costs 16 dollars. you buy it and now have -8 dollars in your account. postive number represent what is there and negative ones represent what is missing.
