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The positive number is always greater.

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Q: How do you decide which of two numbers is greater when one number is positive and one number is negative?
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How can you decide if the sum of two numbers is positive negative or zero without calculating the sum?

The sum of two negative numbers is positive and the sum of two negatives is negative. If you have both positive and negative numbers the sum can be either so look at the absolute value. If the negative number has a greater absolute value, the sum is negative. If the positive number has a greater absolute value the sum is positive. If the absolute values are equal, the sum is zero.


How do you decide which number is greater when one number is negative and one number is positive?

ANY positive number is greater than any negative number. Imagine you are digging a hole, and piling up the dirt you remove from the hole. The hole represents negative numbers- it goes lower than the surface. The piled up dirt represents positive numbers- it is higher than the surface. The surface is zero- neither positive or negative.


How can you decide if the sum of two numbers is positive negative or zero without actually calculating the sum?

The sum of two positive numbers is always positive, and the sum of two negatives is always negative. If you have a positive and a negative number, there sum can be either, so look at the absolute values to decide. For example -3+2=-1. Since all you care about is the sign, look at the absolute value. If the negative number has a greater absolute value, the sum is negative and if the positive number's absolute value, which is the number itself, is bigger, the sum is positive. If the absolute values are equal, the sum is 0.


How can you decide which of two numbers are greater when both numbers are positive?

The farthest number from zero is the greatest number.


How can you decide with of two integers is greater when both numbers are negative?

The number with the smaller absolute value (magnitude) is greater.


How would you Explain how you would decide whether the product of three numbers is positive or negative?

If all three numbers are positive then the product obviously has to be positive. If TWO of the three numbers are negative, then the product is also positive. But if exactly ONE of the three numbers is negative or if all THREE are negative, then the product must be negative. In general, a product of numbers is negative if an ODD NUMBER of the terms is negative.


How can you decide if the difference of two numbers is positive negative or zero without actually calculating the difference?

You can do this by inspection. If the second number is smaller than the first, their difference is positive. If the second number is greater than the first, then their difference is negative. If the second number is the same as the first number, then their difference is zero.


How do you divide a negative fraction by a negative fraction?

-- Ignore the signs. -- Divide the first fraction by the second fraction, then decide whether the answer is positive or negative. -- If both numbers in a division have the same sign, then the quotient is positive. So the quotient is positive, and you're done.


How do you decide which two numbers is greater?

A positive number is greater than a negative number. If a positive number is greater than another, the corresponding negative numbers are smaller. For example, since 4 > 3, -4 < -3. For two positive numbers: The number with more digits is greater. If they have the same number of digits, the number with the greater first digit is greater. If they are equal, look at the second digit, which will decide which number is greater, and so forth, up to the last digit. For example, 12500 is greater than 12480: they have the same number of digits, the first two digits are the same, but the third digit is the tie-breaker. For numbers with decimals, first apply the rules above for the whole part. If they are equal, check the first digit after the decimal point, then the second, etc., until you find a "tie-breaker". For example, 0.2522 is more than 0.2517. Once again, the first two digits are the same, the third is the tiebreaker.


How do you decide if the difference of two numbers is positive negative zero without calculating the difference?

Formally, the difference between two numbers, x and y, is abs(x - y) which is never negative. If the two numbers are the same then the difference is 0 else it is positive. If you define the difference as x - y then it is positive if x > y, 0 if x = y and negative if x < y.


How can you decide the difference of two positive numbers?

You subtract the smaller from the larger. The difference between 11 and 45 is found by adding negative 11 to positive 45 +45 -11 ----. +34


Without actually multiplying how can you decide whether the product of two integers is positive negative or 0?

the answer is a positive because two negative or two positive is always positive.