Positive and negative numbers
Last updated: 2 Feb 2007
Positive numbers are all the numbers greater than zero.
Negative numbers are all the numbers less than zero.
Zero is neither positive nor negative.
Rules for combining positive and negative numbers
- If x and y are both positive then x+y and xy are positive. For example 2 + 3 = 5 and 2 x 3 = 6.
- If x and y are both negative then x + y is negative and xy is positive. For example -3 + (-7) = -10 and -3 x -7 = 21.
- If x is positive and y is negative then xy is negative. For example 5 x (-4) = -20.
Contents
- Introduction
- Integers and real numbers
- Positive and negative numbers
- Odd and even numbers
- Prime numbers
- Factoring numbers
- Divisibility tests
- Summary of properties of numbers
Practice questions
