Video Transcript
What is 16 minus zero?
What happens to a number when we subtract zero? Let’s look at some examples. If we had three blocks and we took away zero, how many would be left? Three would be left.
And if we had five blocks and took away none or zero, there would be five left. Do you notice anything about the answers? They’re the same as the number we started with.
This is known as the identity property. Zero is known as the identity number. This means when we subtract zero from a number, the number does not change. So when we subtract zero from a number, zero has no effect on that number.
So we can say that 16 minus zero is 16. This is because when we subtract zero from a number, the number does not change.
