when is the opposite of the opposite of a number the same as the original number

Question

always
when the original number is positive
when the original number is negative
never

Answer 1

The opposite of a number \( x \) is \( -x \). The opposite of the opposite of \( x \) is \( -(-x) \), which simplifies to \( x \).

This means that the opposite of the opposite of any number is always the same as the original number, regardless of whether the original number is positive, negative, or zero.

So, the answer is always.