To get from one number to the answer you really want, just take the absolute value! That is, to find the distance between any two real numbers: subtract them in any order.
For example: -4+5
On a numberline you start from zero, and jump to -4. Then you add 5 to the right giving you the answer.
Find the difference between two integers by adding the additive inverse. The distance is the absolute value of the difference. Check the distance by plotting the original two integers on a number line and counting the units between them.
