Integers — NSW Year 7 Maths
Positive and negative whole numbers, from temperatures below zero to bank balances in the red. Nine subtopics and 180+ practice questions, each with a fully worked solution, aligned to NESA outcome MA4-INT-C-01.
Integers in NSW Year 7
Integers are the whole numbers together with their negatives: \(\ldots, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, \ldots\) In Year 7, students meet them properly for the first time, using a number line to see where negative numbers sit, comparing and ordering them, and then learning how each of the four operations works when signs are involved.
The nine subtopics below follow the order most NSW classrooms teach them: start by describing numbers above and below zero, move through adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers, then bring it together with order of operations and worded problems. Integers is one of the 13 topics in NSW Year 7 Maths and sits in the Number and Algebra strand (NESA outcome MA4‑INT‑C‑01). Confident work with negative numbers is needed later for algebra, equations and plotting points on the number plane.
Subtopics
Integers: common questions
What are integers in Year 7 maths?
Integers are positive whole numbers, negative whole numbers and zero. Fractions and decimals such as \(\frac{1}{2}\) or \(-2.5\) are not integers.
How do you add and subtract negative numbers?
Adding a negative number moves you left on the number line, so \(5 + (-8) = -3\). Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding its opposite, so \(4 - (-6) = 4 + 6 = 10\).
What are the rules for multiplying and dividing negative numbers?
If the two signs are the same, the answer is positive; if they are different, the answer is negative. For example, \(-4 \times -3 = 12\) and \(-12 \div 3 = -4\).
Which NESA outcome covers integers?
Integers sit in Stage 4 of the NSW Mathematics K–10 Syllabus (2022) under outcome MA4‑INT‑C‑01, usually taught in Year 7.
What comes after integers in Year 7?
Negative numbers are used straight away in algebra (substituting and solving equations) and on the number plane, where points can have negative coordinates. Later in Stage 4 they appear again in indices and linear relationships.