is a negative times a negative ALWAYS positive? or can it be negative as well?
No. A negative times a negative is always a positive.
what about 3 negatives? would the product always be positive?
When multiplying two numbers, whether negative or positive, the product depends on the signs of the individual numbers involved.
In the case of multiplying a negative number by a negative number, the rule states that "a negative times a negative is always positive".
To understand why this is the case, we can follow these steps:
1. Start with two negative numbers. For example, -3 multiplied by -2.
2. Multiply the absolute values of the numbers (ignoring their signs). In this case, the absolute values of -3 and -2 are 3 and 2, respectively.
3. Multiply the absolute values. 3 multiplied by 2 gives us 6.
4. Finally, apply the rule: The product is positive when both numbers being multiplied have the same sign (negative in this case).
So, by multiplying -3 by -2, we get a positive result of 6.
It is important to note that multiplying a negative number by a negative number is a specific case and does not apply to other operations like addition or subtraction.