Let see.
Numbers which are bigger than 0 are defined as positive numbers and have a prefix of + (plus).
Numbers which are smaller than 0 are defined as negative numbers and have a prefix of - (minus).
Let say number a is equal to the expression,
[tex]a=3xy[/tex]
Since y is negative we can change its prefix to -,
[tex]a=3x\cdot(-y)[/tex]
Any number (in this case 3x) multiplied by negative number will produce a negative number.
Therefore the sign or prefix of number a will be -.
Hope this helps.
r3t40
