Download The Mathematics 11 Competency Test

The Mathematics 11
Competency Test
Signs of Products or Quotients of
Signed Numbers
Very briefly, we state the familiar rule here:
(+) times (+) gives (+)
(+) divided by (+) gives (+)
(+) times (-) gives (-)
(+) divided by (-) gives (-)
(-) times (+) gives (-)
(-) divided by (+) gives (-)
(-) times (-) gives (+)
(-) divided by (-) gives (+)
So, when multiplying two numbers, or when dividing one number by a second number,

the result is positive if both numbers have the same sign

the result is negative if the two numbers have opposite signs.
So, for example:
(+2)  (+3) = +6
(+2)  (-3) = -6
(-2)  (+3) = -6
(-2)  (-3) = +6
and
(+6) divided by (+2) gives +3
(+6) divided by (-2) gives -3
(-6) divided by (+2) gives -3
(-6) divided by (-2) gives +3
David W. Sabo (2003)
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