What does a positive number multiplied by a negative number equal?
A negative times a positive equals a negative.
For example
2 x -16=-32
A negative times a negative equals a positive
For example
-2 x -16=32
A positive times a positive equals a positive
For example
2 x 16=32
Remember that this rule only applies to multiplication and it
doesn't matter if the smaller number has the negative sign or the
bigger number has the negative sign; It will still be a negative.
Also remember that it doesn't matter whether its a negative times a
positive or a positive times a negative ; It remains a negative
regardless of the order of the signs. Lastly remember that a
negative times a negative will always be a positive and a positive
times a positive will always be a positive.
For example
-2 x 105=-210
105 x -2=-210
2 x -105=-210
-105 x 2=-210
105 x 2 =210
-105 x -2 =210
So this means that a negative times a positive will always equal
a negative, a negative times a negative will always equal a
positive, and a positive times a positive will always equal a
positive.
Now if you were dealing with more than two numbers with both
negative and positive signs, the easiest way to know whether the
answer will come up as a negative or positive is to imagine two
negative signs merging into a positive sign and any remaining
negative sign that does have another negative sign to pair with
remains a negative;You can only combine negative signs in pairs(for
example -2 x -2 x -2=4 x -2=-8).Now if you have a situation where
you were able to pair up all of the negative signs into positives
signs and have no negative signs left over, then the answer will be
a positive (for example -2 x -2 x -2 x -2 x 2=16 x 2=32).