There are several rules with respect to negatives. Negative numbers and positive numbers act differently when they are added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided. Positive numbers get larger as the number line is traced away from zero and toward positive infinity. Negative numbers, by contrast, get smaller as the number line is traced toward negative infinity. Adding a negative number is equivalent to subtracting a positive number. When a positive number is multiplied or divided by a negative number, the final answer is negative. When two negative numbers are multiplied or divided, the answer is positive. For example,
5 + (−2) = 5 − 2 = 3
−5 + (−2) = −5 − 2 = −7
−10(9) = − 90
Try the following as practice.
1. −3 + (−2) = 2. −3 − 4 = 3. −5 + 3 = 4. 3 − 8 =
5. (−2)2 =
6. −22 = 7. (−4)(−5) =
8.