Is a number minus another number positive or negative?

1. Identify the operation: The problem asks us to determine if the result of the expression $-50,981 - 587$ is positive or negative.

1. Analyze the signs of the numbers: We have two negative numbers being subtracted. Subtracting a positive number is the same as adding its negative counterpart. So, the expression can be rewritten as $-50,981 + (-587)$.

3. Perform the addition: When adding two negative numbers, we add their absolute values and keep the negative sign.
Absolute value of $-50,981$ is $50,981$.
Absolute value of $-587$ is $587$.
Sum of absolute values: $50,981 + 587 = 51,568$.

1. Determine the sign of the result: Since we are adding two negative numbers, the result will be negative. Therefore, the sum is $-51,568$.

1. Conclude: The result of $-50,981 - 587$ is $-51,568$, which is a negative number.