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I have to do 8th grade math over the summer so i can do Pre algebra next year and i have no idea how to answer this question.

it says " Explain how to determine the sign of the product of a group of positive and negative integers without computing the product." I don't even really get what its asking.

Also I'm not cheating i just don't get it and my dad is out of town and my mom doesn't get it either. I think i could do it if i understood.

2007-07-12 06:11:55 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics Mathematics

6 answers

translation:
"the product of a group of positive and negative integers" means
a multiplation of some postive and negative integers.

"the product" means mulitplication

Example
(-12) * (+5) * (+4) * (-145) * (45) * (-63)

"determine the sign" means finding out the result is
a plus sign(+) : a positive integer, or
a negative sign (-): a negative number.

Tip:
to determine the sign of a group of pos and neg integers
a. you count the number of negative integers
b. if the count is odd, the sign will be negative (-)
c. if the count is even, the sign will be positive (+)

in this case , the count is 3 (an odd-number): -12, -145, and -63

so the sign of the product is a negative number
(without computing the product)

2007-07-12 06:56:20 · answer #1 · answered by buoisang 4 · 0 0

To better understand the question I will rephrase it. They are asking if you multiply a positive number by a negative one what will your answer be? positive or negative without actually crunching the numbers. Well in algebra you need to know that if the signs are alike and you multiply you get a positive answer no matter what the numbers are, and if you multiply, or divide for that matter, numbers with different signs the answer is always negative.

+# X +# or -#X-# or -# / -# or +# / +# = +Answer no matter the #

and +# X -# or -#X+# or -#/+# or +#/-# = - Answer no matter the #

In your case a positive group is multiplied by a negative group so the answer is negative because they are different.

2007-07-12 06:27:23 · answer #2 · answered by 037 G 6 · 0 0

you know that the product of 2 negative integers is positive,
the product of 2 positive integers is positive,
and the product of a positive and a negative integer is negative,
so you can just count the negative integers to see wether the result will be positive or negative.

2007-07-12 06:15:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

If you multiply a positive number to another positive number, the product will be positive.
If you multiply a negative number to another negative number, the product will be positive.
If you multiply a negative number to a positive number, the product will be negative.
Give it a shot. Hope this helps.

(+) x (+) = (+)
(-) x (-) = (+)
(+) x (-) = (-)

2007-07-12 06:16:52 · answer #4 · answered by Dave O 2 · 0 0

it mean like what does two negatives make a(a negative or a positive?) or nagative and a positive or two positives

e.x -5x(-6) = a positive hope i helped

2007-07-12 06:17:08 · answer #5 · answered by i_rock_socks7 3 · 0 0

Wow-eighth grade and only pre-algebra.
I am going into eighth and we are staring algebra 2.
We started alge. in 6th grade.
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Product of two negitives- positve.
two positives- positive.
A positive and a negitive- negitive.
And vice versa^^

So, if it was -9+-3, it would equal -12.
When you simplify it, you have -9-3=12.


Hope I helped. ♥

2007-07-12 06:46:44 · answer #6 · answered by Little Miss Jonas ツ 4 · 0 0

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