#Negative and positive rules how to#

Scott at also has put together a handy video on how to create a cheat sheet for multiplying negative and positive numbers (scroll down the page and you’ll find the video). If you’re still confused over why a negative number times a negative number makes a positive number, Diana Brown at the Department of Mathematics, the University of Georgia, explains it in many different ways in this article. This video is provided by the Learning Assistance Center of Howard Com. Here’s the overall rule to remember when multiplying positive and negative numbers: Rules for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing positive and negative numbers. Prior Knowledge: Be able to perform the four operations with positive. 2 x -4 are both negative, so we know the answer is going to be positive. When adding and subtracting negative numbers, it may help to have a number line. If you look at it on the number line, walking backwards while facing in the negative direction, you move in the positive direction.įor example. Two negatives make a positive, so a negative number times a negative number makes a positive number. Sign rules for Evaluating an Exponent with a Negative Base When the base is (-), and enclosed inside of parentheses: The result is (+) if the exponent is even. Rule 3: A negative number times a negative number, equals a positive number. It doesn’t matter which order the positive and negative numbers are in that you are multiplying, the answer is always a negative number.įor example: -2 x 4, which in essence is the same as -2 + (-2) + (-2) + (-2)Īnd as we said, if it’s the other way around 4 x -2, the answer is still the same: -8. When you multiply a negative number to a positive number, your answer is a negative number. When dividing 2 signed numbers, If the 2 numbers have opposite signs, the quotient is negative. Rule 2: A negative number times a positive number equals a negative number. 5 is a positive number, 3 is a positive number and multiplying equals a positive number: 15. This is the multiplication you have been doing all along, positive numbers times positive numbers equal positive numbers.įor example, 5 x 3 = 15. There are only three rules to remember: Rule 1: A positive number times a positive number equals a positive number. x 6 x-4 x 6+(-4) x 2 What if there is more than one variable Do each base separately. x 4 x 5 x 4+5 x 9 What if an exponent is negative Same thing add exponents. Multiplying When you multiply same bases you add exponents. There are less rules when multiplying positive and negative numbers than in adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers. Let's start by reviewing the rules for exponents I.

Negative and positive rules