alleryStart learning →In the notation negative a, written as -a, what does the minus sign in front of the letter mean?
AIt gives the opposite of a
BIt subtracts a from the total
CIt divides a by negative one
DIt multiplies a by zero exactly
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. It gives the opposite of a
1. When a minus sign sits directly in front of a letter, it is read as the opposite of that letter's value.
2. This is different from a minus sign written between two numbers, which signals subtraction instead.
3. Dividing by negative one or multiplying by zero are unrelated operations that this notation does not represent.
_Source: OpenStax Prealgebra (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 "Integers", section 3.1 Introduction to Integers_
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