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Negative numbers are numbers less than zero. They are symbolized by a minus sign (−) before the number. When you think about temperatures, anything below zero degrees is a negative number. For example, -5 is five degrees below zero.
Negative numbers can seem tricky because they represent the absence or opposite of a quantity. When you add a negative number, it’s like subtracting from the total. Conversely, subtracting a negative number is like adding to the total.
In our exercise, the expression \(-\sqrt{1}\) shows the square root of 1 with a negative sign, transforming what would have been positive into a negative result. Here, the negative sign indicates the direction or value we should consider.

Basic arithmetic involves the simplest and most essential operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. These are the building blocks of math.
Square roots come into play when you need a number that, when multiplied by itself, returns the original number. For example, the square root of 1 is 1, since 1 \times 1 = 1 .
Understanding square roots requires recognizing perfect squares (like 1, 4, 9, 16) because these numbers have whole numbers as their square roots. In our exercise, calculating \(-\sqrt{1}\) uses these basic arithmetic principles to manipulate the number.

Performing mathematical operations sometimes involves more than one step. In our exercise, you see two operations: finding a square root and applying a negative sign. These can be combined into a single, clear procedure.

• First, identify the operation: \(\sqrt{1}\) indicates taking the square root.
• Then, determine the square root. As previously mentioned, this is 1 for the number 1.
• Next, apply the negative sign from the operation \(-\). This gives us -1 as the final result.

These steps highlight the importance of following operations in sequence—a foundational skill in solving math problems. Understanding each segment of the operation individually helps clarify the whole process, ensuring you arrive at the correct answer.