Question

Which sets of numbers result in a negative product? (Select all that apply.)


positive X negative


Negative x negative


negative x positive x positive


negative x positive


positive x negative x negative

Answer 1

A product is negative when there are an odd number of negative factors. So the sets that give a negative product are:

- positive × negative
- negative × positive × positive
- negative × positive

The other two (negative × negative and positive × negative × negative) have an even number of negatives, so their product is positive.