A negative difference is described as which directional shift?

A negative difference is described as which directional shift?

• A. To the left
• B. To the right
• C. No shift
• D. Depends on scale

Answer: (A)

A negative difference means the observed value is lower than the reference value. On a typical axis where numbers increase from left to right, a value smaller than the reference sits to the left of the reference point, which is a leftward shift. A positive difference would place the value to the right, a zero difference means no shift. The idea of “depends on scale” only comes into play if you flip the axis; in standard scales used in clinical chemistry, negative difference corresponds to a shift to the left.

A negative difference means the observed value is lower than the reference value. On a typical axis where numbers increase from left to right, a value smaller than the reference sits to the left of the reference point, which is a leftward shift. A positive difference would place the value to the right, a zero difference means no shift. The idea of “depends on scale” only comes into play if you flip the axis; in standard scales used in clinical chemistry, negative difference corresponds to a shift to the left.