It may help to look at an actual thermometer. It will look something
like this:
|
+ 40
|
+ 30
|
+ 20
|
+ 10
| ^
+ 0 / \
| |
+ -10 | warmer (increasing temperature)
| |
+ -20 ----+
| |
+ -30 | colder (decreasing temperature)
| |
+ -40 \ /
| V
Suppose it was -20 degrees an hour ago, and now it has gone down 10
degrees. As it goes down, it will get farther away from 0 (since it
is below zero to start with), so it will decrease from -20 degrees
to -30 degrees! The number part (the 30, which is the "absolute
value" of the temperature) increases because we are going away from
zero while the temperature itself decreases (getting colder). If the
temperature changed to -10, it would be warmer, not colder; that would
be an increase in temperature.
Does that make sense?
