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Can negative numbers have factors

Updated: 4/28/2022
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Wiki User

11y ago

Best Answer

Sure. Take any positive number and find its factors. Then, if you make

an odd number of the factors negative, you then have a set of factors

of the negative of the original composite number.

That means that the factors of a negative number are not 'unique'.

Take ' 6 ' for example. Its factors are 1, 2, 3, and 6.

If you make the '1' or the '2' or the '3' or the '6' negative, then you have

four factors of ' -6 '.

Are there any other ways to make an odd number of them negative ?

I see eight different ways to make an odd number of those four numbers negative.

So ' -6 ' has eight different possible sets of factors.

Is that weird or what !

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11y ago
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Related questions

What does positive factors mean?

All numbers have factors. The factors that are positive numbers are known as positive factors.


Why prime numbers do not have negetive?

Prime numbers have two factors. Negative numbers, with the exception of negative 1, have more than two factors.


What are all the multiples of negative numbers?

The same way as finding factors of positive numbers but the answer includes both the positive and negative factors.


Is negative 9 a factor of 9?

Yes, technically, since -9 x -1 = 9 In general, we don't list negative factors of positive numbers. We do list negative factors of negative numbers.


Can anyone list the factors of -12?

Negative numbers do not have any factors.


How can you tell from the number of factors when a product is positive or negative?

If you are multiplying negative numbers, an odd number of factors will have a negative product. An even number of factors will have a positive product.


Is -2 a factor of 2?

Yes, technically, since -2 x -2 = 2. We generally don't use negative factors of positive numbers. We do list negative factors of negative numbers.


What is the GCD of two negative numbers?

Since negative numbers also have positive factors, their GCF would be the same as if the original numbers were positive.


Is the product of an odd number of factors always a negative number?

Only if an odd number of the factors are negative numbers.


What are the negative factor of 500?

We generally don't consider negative factors of positive numbers. The negative factors of -500 are a duplicate set of the set of positive factors -- just with minus signs.


Can negative numbers be factors of positive numbers?

Sure. (-5) times (-7) = +35


Is -7 is a factor of 28?

Yes, technically, since -7 x -4 = 28. We do not generally list negative factors for positive numbers. We do list negative factors for negative numbers.