In multiplication and division, if the two terms being operated on (on either side of the equal sign) are both positive numbers or both negative numbers, the answer will be a positive number. If one number is negative and the other is positive, the answer will be negative.
To solve the problem –6x = 36 (don’t forget, 6x is the same thing as 6 times x), you need to isolate x. So perform an inverse operation; the inverse operation of multiplication is division. Division in algebra is usually represented with a fraction bar:
The answer is a negative number because the two terms, 36 and –6, have different signs.