Multiplicative Inverse of -1The multiplicative inverse of -1 is a number that when multiplied by -1 gives the product of 1. In other words, it is the reciprocal of -1.
Calculation of Multiplicative InverseThe formula for finding the multiplicative inverse of a number a is:
a x (1/a) = 1
To find the multiplicative inverse of -1, we substitute -1 for a in the formula:
-1 x (1/-1) = 1
So, the multiplicative inverse of -1 is -1 itself.
ExplanationWhen we multiply any number by -1, the sign of the number changes. For example, if we multiply 4 by -1, we get -4. Similarly, if we multiply -4 by -1, we get 4.
However, when we multiply -1 by -1, the sign of the number does not change. We get a positive number, which is 1. This is because -1 is the only number that when multiplied by itself gives 1.
Therefore, the multiplicative inverse of -1 is -1 itself, as -1 x -1 = 1.
ConclusionThe multiplicative inverse of -1 is -1 itself, as -1 x -1 = 1. This means that when we divide 1 by -1, we get -1 as the answer. It is important to note that not all numbers have a multiplicative inverse. For example, 0 does not have a multiplicative inverse because any number multiplied by 0 gives 0, not 1.