Do you have to flip the inequality sign when dividing by a negative number?

Since you’re dividing by a negative number, you need to flip the inequality sign. x < − 2. The same rule would apply if you’re multiplying both sides by a fraction. Multiplying and dividing are inverses of the same process, kind of like adding and subtracting, so the same rules apply to both.

What should you do for an inequality if you divide by a negative sign?

Dividing by a negative number means you reverse the inequality symbol. Any number greater than 1 is a solution of the inequality 16 – 5x < 11.

What is the rule for dividing a negative by a positive?

When you divide a negative number by a positive number, your answer is a negative number. As with multiplication, it doesn’t matter which order the positive and negative numbers are in, the answer is always a negative number.

Can you divide inequalities?

Well, one of those rules is called the division property of inequality, and it basically says that if you divide one side of an inequality by a number, you can divide the other side of the inequality by the same number.

What happens when you divide by a negative?

When you divide two negative numbers, the answer is always a positive number. For example, -4 divided by -2 equals 2. When both numbers are negative, the negatives cancel out, resulting in the answer always being a positive number.

Why does a negative divided by a negative equal a positive?

So to summarize if you divide (or multiply) by a negative number you must switch the inequality sign. But if you divide (or multiply) by a positive number, even if the number being divided is negative, you don’t switch. So negative one should be a solution.

What is the inverse of negative 5?

Example: The additive inverse of −5 is +5, because −5 + 5 = 0.

What is divide inequality?