Select the number line that represents 5 • (−3).

Question

You can think of 5 • (−3) as 5 groups of −3.

Number line showing 5 arrows back to back pointing right. The first arrow starts at 0. Each arrow has a value of positive 3.

Number line showing 5 arrows back to back pointing left. The first arrow starts at 0. Each arrow has a value of negative 3.

Answer 1

To represent \( 5 \cdot (-3) \) on a number line, think of it as 5 groups of -3. This means that you are moving to the left on the number line, since -3 is negative.

The correct representation would be:

Number line showing 5 arrows back to back pointing left. The first arrow starts at 0. Each arrow has a value of negative 3.

This signifies that you are moving left from 0 five times, each time moving by -3, resulting in a total movement of -15.