Negative numbers
When your bank balance is +4 pounds you have £4.
When your bank balance is –4 pounds you owe £4.
Owing is the opposite of having, so we find that we can associate the concept of 'minus'
with '(the) opposite (of)'. This also works in reverse.
Thus, (-4) ´ 8 means "owing £4, eight times over" or "owing £32" which is -£32 .
Now -32 is smaller than 8, so we have illustrated another case where multiplying has a
reducing effect, i.e. when multiplying by a negative number.
Note that, using the method shown above, it follows that -1 ´ 8 = - 8, and vice versa.