Math Playground
Numbers

Inverse

The number that undoes another — additive (negative) and multiplicative (reciprocal).

An inverse is what undoes another operation.

Two kinds

  • Additive inverse: the number that adds to give 0. Inverse of 7 is −7.
  • Multiplicative inverse (reciprocal): the number that multiplies to give 1. Inverse of 7 is 1/7.