Subtracting Negative Numbers: -9 Minus 31

The user has presented a simple arithmetic problem:

This is a subtraction problem involving two negative numbers (or, more accurately, subtracting a positive number from a negative number).

Step 1: Understand the operation.
We are asked to find the result of subtracting 31 from -9. When subtracting a positive number from a negative number, we are moving further away from zero in the negative direction. This is equivalent to adding the absolute values of the two numbers and keeping the negative sign.

Step 2: Add the absolute values.
The absolute value of is .
The absolute value of is .

Step 3: Apply the negative sign.
Since both numbers contribute to moving in the negative direction, the result is negative.

Alternatively, we can think of it as:

When adding two negative numbers, you add their magnitudes and keep the negative sign.

So,

The final answer is .