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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 and computer programming, the order of operations is a collection of rules that reflect conventions about which operations to perform first in order to evaluate a given mathematical expression. These rules are formalized with a ranking of the operations. The rank of an operation is called its precedence, and an operation with a ...
The simplest example given by Thimbleby of a possible problem when using an immediate-execution calculator is 4 × (−5). As a written formula the value of this is −20 because the minus sign is intended to indicate a negative number, rather than a subtraction, and this is the way that it would be interpreted by a formula calculator.
In common numeral notation (used in arithmetic and elsewhere), the sign of a number is often made explicit by placing a plus or a minus sign before the number. For example, +3 denotes "positive three", and −3 denotes "negative three" (algebraically: the additive inverse of 3). Without specific context (or when no explicit sign is given), a ...
Unary operation. In mathematics, a unary operation is an operation with only one operand, i.e. a single input. [1] This is in contrast to binary operations, which use two operands. [2] An example is any function , where A is a set. The function is a unary operation on A.
2. Denotes the additive inverse and is read as minus, the negative of, or the opposite of; for example, –2. 3. Also used in place of \ for denoting the set-theoretic complement; see \ in § Set theory. × (multiplication sign) 1. In elementary arithmetic, denotes multiplication, and is read as times; for example, 3 × 2. 2.
Saturation arithmetic. Saturation arithmetic is a version of arithmetic in which all operations, such as addition and multiplication, are limited to a fixed range between a minimum and maximum value. If the result of an operation is greater than the maximum, it is set ("clamped") to the maximum; if it is below the minimum, it is clamped to the ...
For example, () = = is the number of different podiums—assignments of gold, silver, and bronze medals—possible in an eight-person race. On the other hand, x ( n ) {\displaystyle x^{(n)}} is "the number of ways to arrange n {\displaystyle n} flags on x {\displaystyle x} flagpoles", [ 8 ] where all flags must be used and each flagpole can ...