Q:

# What does a negative number plus a positive number equal?

A:

A negative number added to a positive number can sum up to either a positive number, negative number or zero, depending on the size of the two numbers added together. When a positive number is added to a negative number of equal size, they will essentially cancel out each other and sum to zero.

If a large negative number is added to a small positive number, such as -10 and 1, the answer will be a negative number, which is -9 in this case. Similarly, a large positive number added to a small negative number will result in a positive number. This is unlike multiplication in which a negative number multiplied by a positive number will always result in a negative number.

## Similar Questions

• A:

If one subtracts a positive number from a negative number, the process is still subtraction. For example, -3 minus 7 is -10. On the other hand, subtracting a negative number from a positive number is equivalent to addition.

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• A:

The result of a adding a positive number and a negative can either be a negative number or a positive number, depending on the sign of the biggest number. If the sign of the larger number is negative, then the result is a negative number. However, if the sign of the larger number is positive, then the result is a positive number.

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• A:

A negative number divided by a negative number always yields a positive number. For instance, -4 / -2 = 2. In other words, there are two -2s in -4.