Finding the Smallest Value When x < 0: Negative Number Comparison

Question

Since 0 > x

Which of the values is the smallest?

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Determine which value is the smallest
00:03 Let's find the signs of the numbers
00:07 Negative times negative is always positive
00:10 This option is greater than 0
00:15 Negative times negative is always positive
00:18 This option is also greater than 0
00:33 This option is necessarily smaller
00:46 Negative is always less than positive
00:55 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine which value is the smallest when 0>x 0 > x , we evaluate each of the given expressions under the assumption that x x is negative.

  • 300x-300x: When a negative number x x is multiplied by 300-300, it becomes a large positive number because multiplying two negatives yields a positive. Thus, 300x-300x is a large positive number.
  • 7x-7x: Similarly, if we multiply x x by 7-7, this also results in a positive number, but it will be much smaller than 300x-300x in magnitude because the multiplication factor is much smaller.
  • x+8x + 8: Adding 8 to a negative number x x raises its value towards zero, making it less negative or possibly positive, depending on x x 's magnitude.
  • xx: As x x is a negative number, it remains the smallest among all these expressions. No operation is applied to change its sign or significantly increase its value.

Therefore, among the choices provided, the smallest value is simply x x itself because it remains negative and no operation converts it into a positive or larger magnitude value.

The answer is x x .

Answer

x x