Negative and positive multiplication

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If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser. Donate Log in Sign up Search for courses, skills, and videos. Review the basic of multiplying negative numbers and try some practice problems. Want to learn more about multiplying negative numbers? Check out this video. Want to know why multiplying two negative numbers equals a positive number?

Negative and positive multiplication

There are less rules when multiplying positive and negative numbers than in adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers. There are only three rules to remember:. This is the multiplication you have been doing all along, positive numbers times positive numbers equal positive numbers. When you multiply a negative number to a positive number, your answer is a negative number. Two negatives make a positive , so a negative number times a negative number makes a positive number. If you look at it on the number line, walking backwards while facing in the negative direction, you move in the positive direction. Two like signs make a positive sign:. Two unlike signs make a negative sign:. Scott at About. Join K5 to save time, skip ads and access more content. Learn More. There are only three rules to remember: Rule 1: A positive number times a positive number equals a positive number. Rule 2: A negative number times a positive number equals a negative number. Rule 3: A negative number times a negative number, equals a positive number.

Zachary Krein. And so we should have the same property here.

Here we will learn about multiplying and dividing negative numbers including what negative numbers are and how to multiply and divide them. Numbers greater than zero are referred to as positive numbers. If there is no sign in front of a number the number is positive. On the number line below we can see some positive and negative integers whole numbers :. Just like you can multiply and divide positive numbers, you can do the same with negative numbers. Click here to learn about adding and subtracting negative numbers. Includes reasoning and applied questions on multiplying and dividing negative numbers.

There are less rules when multiplying positive and negative numbers than in adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers. There are only three rules to remember:. This is the multiplication you have been doing all along, positive numbers times positive numbers equal positive numbers. When you multiply a negative number to a positive number, your answer is a negative number. Two negatives make a positive , so a negative number times a negative number makes a positive number.

Negative and positive multiplication

As you know, multiplication is a mathematical operation that helps us combine groups of numbers or find the total when we have several equal groups. When we multiply, we're essentially adding a number to itself multiple times. Now, let's talk about multiplying positive numbers first. If you have two positive numbers, like 3 and 4, you can multiply them by adding 3, four times. But what happens when we multiply positive by negative numbers? When we multiply a positive number by a negative number, the result will be negative. Similarly, when we multiply a negative number by a positive number, the result will also be negative. The best way to explain this is to think of a numbers line. You have a negative number, so you are facing in the negative direction.

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If you answer is correct then the product of these two numbers should be the same as the numerator. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. And here you just have to remember anything times 0 is going to be 0. And in future videos, we'll explore why this is and why this makes mathematics more all fit together. Now, what if we swap the order in which we multiply? Now, onto the question. And we're in the circumstance where one of these two numbers right over here is negative, this one right over here. Change the sign using the rules of multiplying and dividing negative numbers: If the signs are the same, the answer is positive. Rule 3: A negative number times a negative number, equals a positive number. Now, this might say, wait, this doesn't really fit into any of these circumstances. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. So this would be equal to negative 6. There are two simple rules to remember: When you multiply a negative number by a positive number then the product is always negative.

We see numbers all around us.

Practice multiplying and dividing negative numbers questions. You might be wondering, 'why isn't the last addition symbol negative as well? Common misconceptions. There are only three rules to remember:. There are two simple rules to remember: When you multiply a negative number by a positive number then the product is always negative. This is similar to the rule for adding and subtracting: two minus signs become a plus, while a plus and a minus become a minus. Two negatives make a positive , so a negative number times a negative number makes a positive number. Pre-Algebra More about the four rules of arithmetic Overview Integers and rational numbers Learn how to estimate calculations Calculating with decimals and fractions Geometric sequences of numbers Scientific notation. Pause the video, try them out, and see if you get the same answer. Explain how to multiply and divide negative numbers in 2 steps. If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. The table shows the temperature in different cities across Canada. You may have noticed that in the previous question, I put the respective signs in front of their respective numbers, regardless of if they're positive or negative. So, when you multiply or divide negatives, you are basically multiplying positives with minus signs behind them.