Multiplying and dividing integers

When you multiply or divide two numbers, work out the size of the answer first, then the sign. If the signs are the same, the answer is positive. If the signs are different, the answer is negative.

So −6 × 4 = −24, −6 × −4 = 24 and −24 ÷ −3 = 8. With more than two numbers, count the negatives: an even number of negatives gives a positive answer and an odd number gives a negative answer. These rules follow from patterns: 3 × −2 = −6, 2 × −2 = −4, 1 × −2 = −2, 0 × −2 = 0, so −1 × −2 = 2.