Negative two cubed is written with the sign inside the brackets, as (-2) * (-2) * (-2). What is the value of (-2) * (-2) * (-2) * (-5)?

Explanation

The brackets keep the minus sign with each copy of the factor, so the three copies multiply to eight below zero, since an odd count of reversals cannot cancel, and multiplying that by five below zero reverses the running result once more to give forty above zero. Treating the cube as positive, or leaving the closing pair of negatives uncancelled, both land forty units below zero.