Final answer:
The product of two nonzero integers is less than or equal to both factors if at least one of the factors is negative, or if both are negative with absolute values less than or equal to 1.
Step-by-step explanation:
The product of two nonzero integers is less than or equal to both factors when at least one of the integers is negative. This is because multiplying a positive number by a negative number gives a negative product, which is always less than the positive factor.
Moreover, when multiplying two negative numbers, the product is positive, but it can still be less than or equal to the factors if the absolute values of the negative numbers are less than or equal to 1. An example illustrating this case using significant figures is Example B9, where in multiplication and division, the product should have no more digits than the factor with the least number of significant figures.