Question 3

We will use Brahmagupta's laws to solve each problem.

Step 1 — Multiplying a negative and a positive number

Let's find the product of -12 and 5. Brahmagupta's law states that Debt (negative) multiplied by Fortune (positive) results in Debt (negative).

$(-12) \times 5$

$= -(12 \times 5)$

$\boxed{-60}$

Step 2 — Multiplying two negative numbers

Let's calculate the product of -8 and -7. Brahmagupta's law states that Debt (negative) multiplied by Debt (negative) results in Fortune (positive).

$(-8) \times (-7)$

$= (8 \times 7)$

$\boxed{56}$

Step 3 — Subtracting a negative number from zero

Let's find the value of 0 minus -14. Brahmagupta's law states that zero minus debt is fortune. Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding its positive counterpart.

$0 - (-14)$

$= 0 + 14$

$\boxed{14}$

Step 4 — Dividing a negative number by a positive number

Let's divide -20 by 4. Brahmagupta's law states that Debt (negative) divided by Fortune (positive) results in Debt (negative).

$(-20) \div 4$

$= -(20 \div 4)$

$\boxed{-5}$

Answer

(i) $(-12) \times 5 = -60$ (ii) $(-8) \times (-7) = 56$ (iii) $0 - (-14) = 14$ (iv) $(-20) \div 4 = -5$