What does adding a negative number equate to?

Adding a negative number equates to subtraction because it effectively reduces the value of the original number. When you add a negative value to a positive number, you're moving down the number line, which decreases the total.

For example, consider the addition of -3 to 5. Here, 5 + (-3) results in 2, which is the same as performing the subtraction 5 - 3. This illustrates that adding a negative number simplifies to subtracting the absolute value of that negative number from the original number. Understanding this concept is fundamental in mathematics, particularly in operations involving integers.

While the other operations listed—addition, multiplication, and division—do not specifically correspond to the action of adding a negative number in the same straightforward manner, it is the principle of subtraction that directly aligns with this process.