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In mathematics, −1 (negative one or minus one) is the additive inverse of 1, that is, the number that when added to 1 gives the additive identity element, 0. It is the negative integer greater than negative two (−2) and less than 0 .
The additive inverse is closely related to subtraction, which can be viewed as an addition using the inverse: a − b = a + (−b). Conversely, the additive inverse can be thought of as subtraction from zero: −a = 0 − a. This connection lead to the minus sign being used for both opposite magnitudes and subtraction as far back as the 17th ...
The axioms of modules imply that (−1)x = −x, where the first minus denotes the additive inverse in the ring and the second minus the additive inverse in the module. Using this and denoting repeated addition by a multiplication by a positive integer allows identifying abelian groups with modules over the ring of integers.
Unit (ring theory) In mathematics, element with a multiplicative inverse. In algebra, a unit or invertible element[a] of a ring is an invertible element for the multiplication of the ring. That is, an element u of a ring R is a unit if there exists v in R such that where 1 is the multiplicative identity; the element v is unique for this ...
Subtraction is an operation that represents removal of objects from a collection. [1] For example, in the adjacent picture, there are 5 − 2 peaches—meaning 5 peaches with 2 taken away, resulting in a total of 3 peaches. Therefore, the difference of 5 and 2 is 3; that is, 5 − 2 = 3.
The minus sign (−) has three main uses in mathematics: [16] The subtraction operator: a binary operator to indicate the operation of subtraction, as in 5 − 3 = 2. Subtraction is the inverse of addition. [1] The function whose value for any real or complex argument is the additive inverse of that argument.
Negative number. This thermometer is indicating a negative Fahrenheit temperature (−4 °F). In mathematics, a negative number is the opposite (mathematics) of a positive real number. [1] Equivalently, a negative number is a real number that is less than zero. Negative numbers are often used to represent the magnitude of a loss or deficiency.
In mathematics, a multiplicative inverse or reciprocal for a number x, denoted by 1/ x or x−1, is a number which when multiplied by x yields the multiplicative identity, 1. The multiplicative inverse of a fraction a / b is b / a. For the multiplicative inverse of a real number, divide 1 by the number. For example, the reciprocal of 5 is one ...