Everyday Uses of Negative Numbers
- Goal difference in association football and hockey; points difference in rugby football; net run rate in cricket; golf scores relative to par.
- British football clubs are deducted points if they enter administration, and thus have a negative points total until they have earned at least that many points that season.
- Lap (or sector) times in Formula 1 may be given as the difference compared to a previous lap (or sector) (such as the previous record, or the lap just completed by a driver in front), and will be positive if slower and negative if faster.
- In some athletics events, such as sprint races, the hurdles, the triple jump and the long jump, the wind assistance is measured and recorded, and is positive for a tailwind and negative for a headwind.
- Temperatures which are colder than 0°C or 0°F.
- Bank account balances which are overdrawn.
- Refunds to a credit card or debit card are a negative debit.
- A company might make a negative annual profit (ie. a loss).
- The annual percentage growth in a country's GDP might be negative, which is one indicator of being in a recession.
- Occasionally, a rate of inflation may be negative (deflation), indicating a fall in average prices.
- The daily change in a stock market index, such as the FTSE 100 or the Dow Jones.
- Topographical features of the earth's surface are given a height above sea level, which can be negative (eg. The surface elevation of The Dead Sea).
- The numbering of storeys in a building below the ground floor.
- When playing an audio file on a portable media player, such as an iPod, the screen display may show the time remaining as a negative number, which increases up to zero at the same rate as the time already played increases from zero.
- Participants on the quiz show QI often finish with a negative points score.
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