When multiplying two rational numbers, how is the sign of the product determined?

Answer 1

When multiplying two rational numbers, the sign of the product is determined by the signs of the individual numbers being multiplied.

If the two numbers have the same sign (both positive or both negative), the product will be positive. For example, when multiplying +3 and +2, the product is +6. Similarly, when multiplying -3 and -2, the product is +6 as well.

If the two numbers have different signs (one positive and one negative), the product will be negative. For example, when multiplying +3 and -2, the product is -6. Similarly, when multiplying -3 and +2, the product is -6 as well.

In other words, the product of two rational numbers is positive if the signs are the same, and negative if the signs are different.