Last updated on July 4th, 2025
The number line is a visual representation of numbers on a line. When the numbers are placed at equal intervals on the number line, it is used for comparing them. The line is infinite and extends on both sides. In a horizontal number line, the numbers increase as we go towards the right, and decrease as we move towards the left.
The number line is a straight line used for basic operations like addition, subtraction on numbers. The number zero is placed at the origin (center) of the number line. We mark negative numbers to the left, and positive numbers to the right of zero. That means as we go right, the value in the number line increases.
Drawing a number line is easy. Follow the steps given below to draw a number line:
Step 1: The first step is to draw a line with arrows on both ends.
Step 2: Decide the scale based on the range of numbers you need to show. E.g., the scale can be 2 if we are visually representing numbers from 0 to 10.
Step 3: The next step is to mark the points at equal intervals. Since the scale is 2, we should mark it as 0, 2, 4, 6, etc.
Step 4: Identify the number that needs to be found and encircle it. If we need to find 10, then draw a circle around 10 on the number line.
Based on the properties, numbers are classified into many types, such as decimals, fractions, integers, etc. Different types of numbers can be represented on a number line in different ways:
Now let’s learn how to use the number line to do basic mathematical operations like addition and subtraction.
Addition on Number Line: To add on a number line, we move from the first number towards the right. While adding negative numbers, we move towards the left on the number line.
Subtraction on Number Line: To subtract a number from another, we identify the minuend and start counting and moving towards the left. The number of counts should be equal to the subtrahend. E.g., to subtract 4 from 5, we start at 5 and count four ticks by moving to the left.
The number line is a concept that we use in our daily lives in many fields to represent, compare, or measure quantities. Now let’s learn how we use number lines in our real life
Students often make mistakes when working with number lines. So let’s learn a few common mistakes to master the number lines.
Lisa has 3 apples. She buys 4 more. How many apples does she have in total?
The number of apples Lisa has is 7
To find the number of apples Lisa has we first draw a number line and label the numbers from 0 to 10
As Lisa has 3 apples with her, we start at 3 on the number line. She moved 4 steps as she bought 4 more apples. The final position is 7 so she has 7 apples.
John has 8 candies. He gives 5 to his friend. How many candies does he have left?
The number of candies left is 3
The number of candies John has is 8
The number of candies he gave to his friends is 5
To find the number of candies left, we start from 8 and move 5 steps to the left, the final position is 3.
That means he has 3 candies left.
Place the numbers 2, 6, and 9 on a number line. Indicate which number is greater and which is smaller.
The given numbers can be arranged from smallest to largest as 2, 6, and 9.
On a number line, the zero is in the center; all the positive numbers are on the right side of zero, and negative numbers are on the left side. On the number line, the smaller number is on the left, and the larger number towards the right. So, 2 is the smallest number and 9 is the largest number, which means the order is 2, 6, and 9.
On a number line, mark the position of the number -5.
NA
Since -5 is a negative number, it is placed to the left of 0. If we count 5 places from 0 by moving left, we will land on -5.
If the temperature is -5°C and increases by 8°C, what is the new temperature?
The new temperature is 3°C
To find the new temperature we start from -5 and move 8 steps to the right on the number line. Here, the final point is 3, so the new temperature is 3°C.
Hiralee Lalitkumar Makwana has almost two years of teaching experience. She is a number ninja as she loves numbers. Her interest in numbers can be seen in the way she cracks math puzzles and hidden patterns.
: She loves to read number jokes and games.