Explain why an account balance less than -40 dollars represents a debt greater than 40 dollars.

the more negative the balance, the greater the debt.

An account balance less than -40 dollars represents a debt greater than 40 dollars because negative balances indicate debt or owed money. In this case, if the account balance is less than -40 dollars, it means that the account holder has a deficit of more than 40 dollars.

To understand this, let's consider the logic of negative numbers. A negative number is less than zero. Therefore, if the account balance is less than -40 dollars, it means it is already at a negative value, indicating that the account holder owes more than 40 dollars.

For example, if the account balance is -50 dollars, it means the account holder owes 50 dollars. Similarly, if the account balance is -100 dollars, it means the account holder owes 100 dollars. In each case, the debt exceeds 40 dollars because the account balance is less than -40 dollars.

An account balance less than -40 dollars represents a debt greater than 40 dollars because negative numbers indicate an amount owed. In this case, the negative sign (-) in front of the 40 indicates that the account balance is below zero, indicating a deficit or debt.

To understand this concept, let's consider a positive account balance of $40. This indicates that there is $40 in the account, which is considered a positive sum or an asset.

Now, if there is a negative sign (-) in front of the $40, it means that $40 is owed or deducted from the account. This negative balance indicates that the account holder has borrowed or owes more money than is available in the account.

To sum up, an account balance less than -40 dollars represents a debt greater than 40 dollars because the negative sign indicates an amount owed or deducted from the account.