Negative numbers and absolute value

# Multiplying and dividing negative numbers

## Multiplying positive and negative numbers

Learn some rules of thumb for multiplying positive and negative numbers.
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## Multiplying positive and negative numbers

Discussion and questions for this video
why when we multiply or divide two negative number it is always positive?
The two negative signs cancel each other out to become positive. Or they cross to make a positive sign.
So when you multiply 0 with any number, positive or negative, you get 0? Is that right?
1 Comment
Yes anything multiplying 0 is always going to be 0
How about neg + neg + pos?
Multiplying two negatives and a positive would give you a positive, but by adding them it depends on the size of the numbers.
what would -5 x 1 be? 1 x any other number is that number but i do not know if that works for negatives.
Yes, it works for negatives, too. 1 is a pretty cool number.
Can somebody explain what -2 x -3 "means"? Like 2 x 3 means 2+2+2.
1 Comment
-2 means that it is a number below 0, if you add to negatives then you will get a positive or a number above 0. The answer to this question would be 6 because you added two negatives, this makes a positives. If you have the equation -2 + +3 this would be -6 because if their is one negative number in a equation it automatically turns into a negative answer!
good job i love this program i am finally starting to love math
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#i never loved math but I'm starting to get math
what helped me is to make a triangle and put two negative sign at bottom and a positive sign at the top and when I got two negative signs I would cover up the bottom negative signs and the positive sign at the top would show and Id know that it was a positive example 3x(-9)=negative cause Id cover up a positive cause positive 3 and cover up a negative cause negative 9 and it would be a negative -27
same sign= positive.
different sign= negative
Can 0 be positive or negative?
Zero is neither positive or negative, although you could say it's positive or negative. However zero is not used as a negative very often. (How often do you see -0 in a math problem?)
If you did negative 1 or positive 1, how would you know what 1 it is? Because 1*1=1 . Would that 1 be a positive or negative 1?
That's why you have the (-) sign before a number and in your case if one of the ones is negative, you will see -1
When Sal said any number times 0=0, does any number include infinity? Is infinity even a number, just an expression, or something else?
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Infinity is an expression. No matter how many times you add, subtract, divide, or multiply, you will get either 0 or infinity. You cannot count to is, no matter if you are counting by fives, or counting by 1000s. However, you can express different occasions where you get infinity. e.g. 5/0. This makes many people believe that it is a number. However, wether it is used as an addend, or a divedend, you either get 0 or infinty. It is simply not a number.
why neg -neg = to pos ?
1 Comment
Well, negative times negative and negative divided by negative both equal positive, as Anthony said, but your statement is actually incorrect. A negative number minus a lower negative number equals a positive number, since - negative= add positive, and the absolute value of the lower negative number is greater. However, a negative number minus a higher negative number equals a less negative number, but still negative, since the absolute value of the higher negative number is lesser.
Why is that if you mulitiply a negative number by 0, it doesnt equal -0. At 4:10 it explains it but it still doesnt make any sense!
Zero is neither positive, nor negative. But, anything times zero is zero because if you have nothing, then more of nothing is still nothing.
What about -10 times -4 times -2 do all of them cancel out?
No, if you're multiplying an odd number of negative values then your final answer will be negative.
neg times neg pos_ pos times pos pos_ neg times pos neg_ pos times neg neg?
Yup. You can think of it like this: when one is positive and the other one is negative (or vice-versa), they are different, right? They "disagree", so the answer is immediately negative. When both of them are positive (or negative), they are identical, they "agree", therefore the answer is positive :) hope it helped ;)
Why negative times negative gives positive ?
-2 * 3 means add -2 to itself 3 times which equals -6
but what does -1 X -1 means ?
Think of it as taking away a debt of $1, one time. If you take that debt away,$1 more than you did before. So -1*-1=1
what number do you have to multiply with a negative to make it a postive! simplest form please!
You can multiply any negative with another negative to get a positive!
What does he mean by 1 x 0 =0
when you multiple in the zeros by any number your answer will always be zero
how would we multiply fractions
you do the recipricol of the problem
is there such thing as negative 0? like -0
No, Zero can't be a negative because it isn't a true value.
When you multiply a negative number and a negative number, does the number becomes more negative? I mean, LOL, does it go more to the left of the number line?
here is what i learned:
negative and negative is positive
positive and positive is positive
negative and positive is negative
positive and negative is negative
i hope this helps!
Why is it that two negitives equal a positive?
Because on a number line, each negative added together goes up the number line instead of down.
1 Comment
what indacates division?
Other than the divide symbol, the forward slash, the underline bar (between the numerator and denominator), and the colon (for ratios) can also indicate division.
What about fractions? How does that work? Dividing and multiplying fractions? I know with regular fractions that you would just want the denominators to be the same, would the math work the same way? just being either a negative or positive? Is it weird that I find multiplication of negatives and positives easier than adding and subtracting negatives from positives?
The same rule applies to fractions. If you multiply a negative fraction by a positive fraction, your result will be a negative fraction. If you multiply two negative fractions, your result will be a positive fraction. If you multiply two positive fractions, your result will be a positive fraction.

It doesn't really matter what kind of numbers you're dealing with (fractions, decimals, or integers). Just remember that a positive and a negative give a negative; a negative and a negative give a positive; and a positive and a positive give a positive.

Multiplying and dividing fractions are quite simple. To multiply fractions, you multiply the numerators and the denominators together, and then simplify your product. To divide fractions, you flip the second fraction over and multiply. For example:

1/2 divide by 1/4=1/2 times 4/1=4/2=2.

There are lots of videos on this topic on Khan Academy.
In your videos can u give at least one challenging problem because I want to see if I understand the concept. Thank u so much for what u did u really helped me in my academics.
Which video shows why a negative times a negative is a positive?
Why is 0 a neutral number?
Zero is the balance of a number line. It lies on neither side of negative or positive.
I know that anything times 0 = 0, but isn't it just times nothing? Like 400 x 0 = 0 right? But zero is like nothing so shouldn't it be 400?
It would still be 0, because it would be multiplying 400 by nothing, therefore you would have 400 nothings, which would be 0 because it's nothing.
I am a senior citizen and I am trying to understand neg and pos math problems and I need to see examples. what is -20 minus 12? 12 minus -20? 31 x -2? -10 divided by 5? -30 plus 7 , thank you for your help.
-20 minus 12 can be seen as
-20 - 12 = -32
The answer is -32 because the absolute value of -20 is 20, and the absolute value of minus 12 is 12. All you have to do is add 20 and 12, and add the negative sign.

31 x -2 = -2 x 31
If one neg number and one pos number are being multiplied together, I usually put the neg number first, but you can most certainly have your own way of setting up a problem.
-2 x 31 = -62
The answer is -62 because you are first multiplying pos 31 and pos 2 (ignore the neg sign for now). The product of 31 and 2 is 62. Now, you need to stop ignoring the neg sign on the 2 and put the neg sign beside the 62, which is -62.

-10 divided by 5 is the same thing as
-10 ÷ 5 = -2
If you divide pos 10 by pos 5 and ignore the neg sign beside the 10 for a moment, the answer is 2. Now you forget about ignoring the neg sign and put it beside the 2, so the answer is -2.

-30 + 5 is the same as
5 - 30 = -25
I look at this original problem, -30 +5, as 30 - 5, which is 25. Then, I add the neg sign to the 25, of which is -25. I set the problem up as 30 - 5 first because I know that |-30| = |30| and that |5| = |-5|. I also know that the neg sign can wait on the sidelines for a moment.

I hope that I helped you understand neg and pos math problems more.
what is that number
Guys, if you want to be good at this, memorize all the combinations. Like this:

positive x negative = negative
positive x positive = positive
positive + negative = {[(no matter what the circumstance, if your adding or subtracting, subtract the bigger number by the smaller number not considering negative signs]
Example: -10 + 20
20-10 = 10
(the sign is determined by which number in the equation is bigger)
so... -10+20= 10
}
(if you didn't get this, it's ok, you'll get it eventually!!)
54÷(−6)=? how to do this ?
First, figure out what sign the answer would have. Because the six is a negative and 54 is a positive, the answer would be negative, as that is the rule. Now, you just use your multiplication skills to figure out the answer.
how does a negative times a negative a positve wouldn't it be negative?
Because a 'negative' symbol doesn't actually mean negative, it's more or less telling you to 'switch directions' on a number line. So a negative number multiplied by a negative number is basically canceling itself out.
how do you do this? its confusing me and Im not exactly a math person but im not bad at it. Can anyone help me on this? IT IS VERY CONFUSING!
I can help 2 k :>
This is kinda hard
so that means that if you have -2 x 3 x -5 x 6 = +180
yes, you did the math right. Good Job! :)
How come when you multiply a negative times a negative u also get a positive?
Wouldn't that be a negative as well?.
no just multiplication and division has those rules it is what is is and much easier than adding or subtracting integers :) if you don't get it watch the videos it helped me :)
why do you get a positive number when you multiply two negative numbers?
Because the negative ALWAYS overtakes a positive think of Star wars, like Luke overcomes Darth or something like that. Just remember that " Positives are no match for the powerful negatives" :)
why must 2 negative numbers always cancel each other out?
if (x < 0) {Multiplying two negative numbers results in a positive number because the product of two negative numbers can be described as the additive inverse of a positive number.} 😁 😁 😁
don't get multiplying positive and negative numbers
if you multiply a negative number with a positive number you get a negative number, if you multiply a negative number with a negative number you get a positive number hope this helps :)
What is the math behind this?
well, think of it this way. -2 * 2. what is the answer? well, you have negative two on the number line. you multiply that, going in the same direction. (negative direction) by two. so you get four.
now, if you multiplied by -2 (so now the new problem is -2 * -2), you would change directions, again. first you were going in the positive direction. you changed to the negative direction(because of the start number being negative 2), and then, when you multiplied it by -2, you changed directions again. you can think of it as multiplying a number by negative one, means change directions.
So anyway, you now multiply by -2, change directions, and get 4. so the answer to -2 * -2 = 4. thanks! hope this helps!
I don't get this video? It doesn't make since to me i don't know why but I don't get it
The way I remember how to multiply negatives and positives is this:
Think of positive numbers as good guys and negative numbers as bad guys.

A good thing happening to a good guy is a good thing
Positive x Positive = Positive
A good thing happening to a bad guy is a bad thing.
Positive x Negative = Negative
Negative x Positive = Negative
Negative x Negative = Negative

I hope this helps. :-)
do you have avidei of a mi x o negitive and positive numbers their called comlacaited number (i read it in a book)?
I have a question about subtracting negative numbers... how do you know how to subtract a problem like this: (-2) - 10 I will do it the way I know how...
(-2 - 10 = -8,
but this ends up being wrong and it's actually the answer you would get if you were to add. I am a little confused. Could someone help me answer this question? Thanks! ^_^
could a negative cancel out a positive
only if it's the same or higher number
the videos should include more difficult problems and not use things like -6+(3), just a suggestion
Multiplying and dividing negative numbers have always confused me. I'm sure that the answer is really obvious but how do you know if the answer is a positive or a negative?
Well, here are the four general rules to know:
Positive x Positive = Positive
Positive x Negative = Negative
Negative x Positive = Negative
Negative x Negative = Positive

Why is that when a negative plus a negative would be a positive I do not get that concept and when a positive pluse a positive is a negative
😳😕😧😦😜😝😎
decimals are like fraictons so its bellow 1.
exzample: 40.86 86 is on the right and the decilmals are pernosed tenths or hundredths so you need a - in your fraiction
@ 4:07 how does 0 times -1 = o and not -o?
0 is a neutral number. If you put zero on a number line, it would be the middle of all the numbers.
If I'm calculating -(-2)2 meaning negative 2 squared, is my answer to the problem of -1 x -4 a negative 4 or positive 4?
The answer is negative four because you first distribute the negative sign in front of the (-2) into (-2). A negative times a negative equals a positive, so the question is now (2)2.
2 • 2 = 4.
What would happen if you multiplied negative times negative times positive?
The commutative property of addition states order does not matter in multiplication so you can say:
1.negative times negative is a positive. positive times positive is positive.
2. negative times positive is negative. Negative times negative is positive.
So you would get a positive.
So same signs positive, opposite sides negative. Am I getting the point?
Yes, you are correct!
-1 * 1 = -1
1 * 1 = 1
-1 * -1 = 1
Is there a counterexample for my assumption that 1 multiplied by any number equals that number?
No. Your statement is a rule, therefore thus far it has not been proven wrong. In other words, there is not counterexample.