Question

Find each of the following products: $7\times \left( -8 \right)\times 3$.

Answer 1

Hint: To solve this question we need to have a knowledge of multiplication of integers. The concept required here to solve the question is that, if a positive integer is multiplied to the negative integer the product is always a negative integer, while for the case when positive integer is multiplied of negative integer is multiplied to the negative integer the product is positive. We will calculate the product of the first two terms to the third term.

Complete step-by-step answer:
The question asks us to solve the given expression $7\times \left( -8 \right)\times 3$. To multiply firstly, we will consider any of the two terms among the three given in the question. So the terms considered at first to find the product is:
$= \left( 7\times -8 \right)\times 3$
Multiplying the term $7$ and $-8$ the product we get is a negative integer, as a product of positive and negative integers is a negative integer. So the product becomes:
$= -56\times 3$
On further multiplication, we see that the terms to be multiplied is a positive integer and a negative integer which are $3$ and $-56$ respectively. On calculating and applying the same concept as the above we get:
$= -168$
$\therefore $ The products of $7\times \left( -8 \right)\times 3$ is $-168$.

Note: Keep in mind that any of the two numbers can be multiplied if three numbers are given. Since all the multiplication has the same priority so any of the two terms can be considered. On taking the term $7$ and $3$ first and the multiplying its product to the third number $-8$, so we get:
$= \left( 7\times 3 \right)\times \left( -8 \right)$
In the above expression the product will be positive as the terms are positive, so we get:$= 21\times \left( -8 \right)$
The further multiplication gives the product as:
$= -168$
Since both the answer is the same this means that any of the two terms can be multiplied earlier.