January 16, 2009, was one of the coldest days in recorded history in the US. The temperature on the Big Black River in Maine was recorded at 50 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. How could you represent that temperature with an integer?
Zero is the point on the number line where numbers to the left of zero are negative, and numbers to the right are positive. 50 degrees below zero = 50 degrees less than zero, so -50 degrees.
