Comparing two bank balances, -50 and -3, Zara says -50 is the bigger number because 50 is bigger…

Why

Zara's comparison works perfectly for positive numbers — 50 truly is bigger than 3, and that habit has served her well every single day until now. Negative numbers flip that habit around, because the minus sign means "below zero," and being further below zero makes a number SMALLER, not bigger. Think of it as debt: owing ₹50 is a worse situation than owing ₹3, because you're further in the hole — so as a NUMBER, -50 sits further left on the number line and counts as the smaller one, even though 50 looks like the bigger digit. -3 is closer to zero, so it's the larger balance — you're less badly off. Picture a thermometer: -50°C is far colder (further from a comfortable temperature) than -3°C, and the same "further below zero is smaller" idea applies to money too. Farhan is right: with negative numbers, being closer to zero makes you bigger, and the biggest-looking digit can actually belong to the smallest number.