How To Divide Negative Numbers

Dividing negative numbers works the same way as dividing positive numbers except that the answers will sometimes be negative. Whether the answer is negative depends on the two numbers involved in the division. If only one of the numbers is negative, the result will also be negative. But if both numbers are negative, the result will be positive.

It's easiest to understand how to divide with negative numbers by looking at examples. Suppose you're asked to divide 8 by -2. Divide 8 by 2 as normal to get 4, and then just insert a negative sign in front, for an answer of -4. The order in which the negative sign appears doesn't impact the answer. For instance, -6 divided by 3 produces -2, and 6 divided by -3 also produces -2.

Suppose you divide -6 by -3. Here, you can essentially ignore the negative signs; think of them as canceling each other out. Divide as you normally would to get an answer of 2. You don't need to write a plus sign in front of the 2 — it is understood to be positive.