I have always heard that multiplication is fast adding of the same number. This made sense until we got to negative numbers. Why would two negative numbers become a positive number when they are multiplied if it is indeed just adding the same number? I have asked several people this and never got a straight answer. Please help me!
In: Mathematics
> multiplied if it is indeed just adding the same number
Because if the number is negative you don’t add, you substract.
so for example -1 * -4.
We need to add `-1` *minus four times*: aka substract -1 four times.
So `-1 * -4 = – (-1) – (-1) – (-1) – (-1) = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4`
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