Question

Is the value of the expression below positive or negative? (- 2.5)(- 3/5)(50)(1/4)(1.6)(- 2) Select your answers from the drop-down lists The value of the expression is because the number of negative factors is

Answer 1

The expression (- 2.5)(- 3/5)(50)(1/4)(1.6)(- 2) is negative because it contains an odd number of negative factors, which results in a negative product according to the rules of signs in multiplication.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine if the value of the expression (- 2.5)(- 3/5)(50)(1/4)(1.6)(- 2) is positive or negative, we can count the number of negative factors in the multiplication. According to multiplication rules of signs, when two negative numbers multiply together, the result is positive, similar to (-4) x (-3) = 12, and when two numbers have opposite signs, the result is negative, such as 4 x (-4) = -16. Here is a step-by-step analysis of the expression:

• Negative factors: (- 2.5), (- 3/5), and (- 2), totaling three negative factors.
• Positive factors: (50), (1/4), and (1.6), totaling three positive factors.
• Since there is an odd number of negative factors (three), the overall sign of the product will be negative.

Therefore, the value of the expression is negative because the number of negative factors is odd.