Asked by ;)

Ivan and Polina have each drawn a conclusion about multiplying negative fractions.

Ivan: The product of an even number of negative fractions is always positive.
Polina: The product of an odd number of negative fractions is always negative.

Whose conclusion is correct?
Ivan only
Polina only
both Ivan and Polina
neither Ivan or Polina

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
both Ivan and Polina

Reason: The sign of a product equals (-1)^k where k is the number of negative factors. If k is even the product is positive, if k is odd the product is negative (examples: (-1/2)(-1/3)=1/6; (-1/2)(-1/3)(-1/4) = -1/24).