When you divide a negative number by a positive number then the quotient is negative. So, the quotient of a negative and a positive number is negative and, correspondingly, the quotient of a positive and a negative number is also negative. What happens when you divide two negative numbers? For example,įor the denominator (-3) to become the numerator (-12), you would have to multiply it by 4, therefore the quotient is 4. In order to check whether 4 is the correct answer, we multiply 3 (the denominator) by 4 (the quotient): If you answer is correct then the product of these two numbers should be the same as the numerator. Turning to division, you may recall that you can confirm the answer you get by multiplying the quotient by the denominator. Now we have two negative numbers, so the result is positive. Since there is one positive and one negative number, the product is negative 12. Two quick multiplication examples:ģ times 4 equals 12. In multiplication and division, however, you calculate the result as if there were no minus signs and then look at the signs to determine whether your result is positive or 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. When you multiply two negative numbers or two positive numbers then the product is always positive. When you multiply a negative number by a positive number then the product is always negative. You also have to pay attention to the signs when you multiply and divide.
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