CHAT So, a question on negative numbers

[Dennis Olson]

I’m kinda bored, and a random thought popped into my head, and I need someone to explain it.

a positive number times a positive number = a positive number

a positive times a negative = a negative

a negative times a negative = a positive.


WHY IS THAT TRUE?

 

[mzkitty]

Because you're supposed to go crazy thinking about that stuff.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Heh. Not really funny. I’ve always “known” it to be true because my teachers told me so. But I don’t think I know why it’s that way.

 

[Dozdoats]

It's MAFFS. Maffs beez hard.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Maffs bez rayciss dawg.

 

[mzkitty]

You have passed the negatives exam. You may now dwell upon spooky actions at a distance.

 

[raven]

why is any non zero number raised to the zero power equal to 1.
(my ex-wife, Masters Degree in Science, was helping my son with math one day. She was explaining that any number raised to the zero power was zero. In what I would describe as a "drive by trolling", I said "Its not, Its One".
That's when the fight started.")

 

[Dennis Olson]

why is any non zero number raised to the zero power equal to 1.

Yes, another one!

 

[Martinhouse]

A negative times a negative is a positive because it indicates that there is a lack of the lack of something. Or in other words, if you don't have an insufficiency of something you do have a sufficiency of it, which would be a positive.

How's that for an explanation from someone who never studied higher math?!!!!! (:

 

[hunybee]

Oh my goodness..

You broke my brain

 

[Shooter]

I didnt pay attention in schol, BUT,

if you dont have 2 apples. and you multiply times 2. now you dont have 4 apples?

 

[Fake Shemp]

OK, let’s Look at it this way. You were -$1000. You take out a loan for $1000. For the next 10 months you pay $110 a month to the bank, that’s a negative for you that will equal a $100 positive for the bank. I’m sorry, it’s the beer talking.

 

[Dennis Olson]

A negative 12 is not a “lack of” 12.

 

[Martinhouse]

Shooter, that's a great explanation!

 

[Dennis Olson]

Of course, all this leads to “imaginary numbers” (the square root of a negative number).

 

[Martinhouse]

Well, then, Dennis instead of using the words "lack" or "insufficiency" use the words "existence" or "non-existence" as the case requires.

And I suspect that you know perfectly well what the answer is to these questions!

We'll need a much more complex puzzle to take our minds off of this damnable corona virus crap for any length of time.

 

[FaithfulSkeptic]

Because its symmetry on both axis.

 

[Blacknarwhal]

Punnett Square analogue?

 

[hunybee]

We'll need a much more complex puzzle to take our minds off of this damnable corona virus crap for any length of time.

No I dont

 

[Groucho]

When I say "Eat!" I am encouraging you to eat (positive)
But when I say "Do not eat!" I am saying the opposite (negative).
Now if I say "Do NOT not eat!", I am saying I don't want you to starve, so I am back to saying "Eat!" (positive).

Here's another one:
Sam gives you three $10 notes: +3 × +10 = you gain $30Sam gives you three $10 debts: +3 × −10 = you lose $30Sam takes three $10 notes from you: −3 × +10 = you lose $30Sam takes three $10 debts from you: −3 × −10 = you gain $30

My head hurts and I need another bourbon.

 

[Dux]

Because two wrongs make a right

 

[Shooter]

but I still dont have 4 apples.

 

[raven]

Instead of the word "negative" try understanding it with the word inverse.
-3*-3=9
In words, the inverse of 3 multiplied by the inverse of 3
equals the inverse of the inverse of nine.
or the inverse of -9
which is 9

 

[mzkitty]

A spider on drugs:



Once solved this problem:

 

[The Hammer]

Actually a very interesting question.

I don't know.

Groucho's first example was pretty good. The second was impossible to follow...

 

[dstraito]

Because two wrongs make a right

but three lefts do

 

[Dennis Olson]

Raven, that still doesn’t answer my question, which is WHY?

Like I said, I’ve worked with negative numbers all my life, but I followed the “rules” for working with them because I was “told” that “this is how it’s done.”

WHY?

 

[Martinhouse]

Ah, NASA, and our tax dollars at work. I mostly solve my spider web problems with a broom.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Because two wrongs make a right

That one is:

Why are two Chinese guys still not worth a single Caucasian?



Because two Wongs don’t make a white...

 

[FaithfulSkeptic]

OK. Three salesman stop for the night and rent a room. Manager charges them $30 ( it was long ago ). After a while, he decides he overcharges them, so he gives the bellhop $5 and tells him to give it back to them. Knowing the guys couldn't split $5 three ways, the bellhop keeps $2 for himself and gives each guy a dollar back. Now, each guy paid $9 ... x 3 = $27 ... + the $2 the bell hop kept = $29 dollars. They originally payed $30. Where did the extra dollar go?

 

[The Hammer]

I think if you asked Joe Biden, he'd say it's a bunch of malarkey because the fact of the matter is, Tacoma pork chop Wahtusi.

 

[Groucho]

Actually a very interesting question.

I don't know.

Groucho's first example was pretty good. The second was impossible to follow...

Oh stop it! It was a beautiful example. Always with them negative waves.

 

[WFK]

There are things like axioms in math. Self evident or accepted as basis.

 

[Dennis Olson]

There are things like axioms in math. Self evident or accepted as basis.

Indeed.

WHY?

 

[dstraito]

Next lesson will be on black holes and what are they?

A black hole is where God divided by zero

 

[Groucho]

but I still dont have 4 apples.

Tuesday. You'll get them NEXT Tuesday. Trust me.

 

[Groucho]

Look what you did, Dennis. I hope you're happy now.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Look what you did, Dennis. I hope you're happy now.

Fresh meat for a herd of INTJs. Like a wounded water buffalo in a stream full of piranha.

 

[mzkitty]

Because. That's why.

It's like geometry. It all starts with A Point. But the point is a made up construct because you can't really see or feel A Point in space. You just have to accept that It Just Is. Or you'll never get to Trig. Which I didn't. It scared me.

 

[Bps1691]

With the standard number line centered at zero

… numbers on the right side of zero are positive and numbers on the left are negative

Moving a certain number of steps a certain number of times, multiplication problems are modeled

Multiplying two negative numbers together is analogous to facing the left direction, but taking steps backwards.

This movement results in a final answer that is positive.