How to find negative of a number in Notion | Use of unaryMinus operator

Notion unaryMinus operator

Today we are going to learn how to find the negative of a number in Notion.

Finding the negative of a number in Notion is a really simple task. This can be accomplished with the use of a unaryMinus operator in Notion.

Let’s begin…

In order to find the negative of a number in 1 database, we will follow a 3-step approach as follows:

  1. We need to create a database to hold the data to find the negative of a number.
  2. Set up the database correctly.
  3. Put the desired formula that will help us find the negative of a number.

How to create a database in Notion? (Step 1)

Before creating a database, let’s first understand what is a database.

What is a database in Notion?

In Notion, a database is a collection of data that can be structured and organized in a variety of ways. It’s a powerful feature that allows users to create custom databases to store, manage, and track information in a structured and organized manner.

A Notion database is made up of a collection of properties that define the different types of data that can be stored within it.

These properties can include text, numbers, dates, formulas, attachments, checkboxes, and more.

Databases in Notion can be customized to suit a variety of needs, including:

  • project management,
  • task tracking,
  • inventory management,
  • customer relationship management, and more.

They can be organized into tables and viewed in a variety of formats, including:

  • lists,
  • galleries,
  • calendars, and
  • Kanban boards.

Overall, databases in Notion provide a flexible and powerful way to organize and manage information, making it a popular tool for individuals and teams across a wide range of industries and use cases.

Simply said, a database will help to hold the values of data inside it through which we can perform any operation.

How to create a database in Notion?

In order to add a database in Notion, simply type “/database” and you will get a list of options for adding a database in Notion.

Select “Database – Inline” and you can add a database to your Notion page quickly.

Next, we will set up the database correctly to find the negative of a number in Notion.

Setting up the database correctly (Step:2)

In any database that you ever create, there will always be a default property which is the first column of the database. 

This property will always have the “Type” as “Title” which can’t be changed.

In this example, we are writing the Operator name in use in the first column, i.e. unaryMinus(). Thus we will name the first property as Operator which is shown below.

Here’s what we will require in our database to find the remainder between 2 numbers in the database.

First, we need to add the following 4 properties to the database to find the remainder between 2 numbers in a database:

Property NameProperty Type
OperatorTitle
No 1Number
No 1 [unaryMinus()]Formula
No 1 [-]Formula

We will talk about each property in the following section.

How to add properties in a database in Notion to find the remainder between 2 numbers?

In order to add a new property, we need to click on the “+” sign at the top right corner of a database.

Once selected, you will get a list of options to choose from to select the property type. 

Select the “Number” property and name it “No 1”. We will be able to create a No 1 property as shown below.

Next up, we will add No 2 as another property similar to above and keep its property type as Number as well.

Adding these 2 properties has helped in adding 2 numbers to find the negative of the numbers now with the use of 2 different formulas.

Finally, we will add another property that will have “Formula” as the type of property that will help us calculate the negative of a number.

Now, it’s time to implement the formula to find the negative of a number in Notion.

More: How to find the remainder of a number in Notion?

Formula to find the negative of a number in Notion (Step: 3)

Once our database is set up, we need to figure out which formula to use to find the negative of a number in Notion.

Use of the unaryMinus function to find the negative of a number in Notion (Formula: 1)

In this formula, we will find the negative of a number by using the unaryMinus operator.

For finding the negative of a number, Notion has another built-in operator to help us find the negative of numbers, i.e. unaryMinus().

Essentially, the unaryMinus operator helps to find the negative of a number in Notion, when we provide an input of a number inside the operator.

Eg:

unaryMinus (5) = -5

Now in order to find the negative of a number, i.e. No 1 or No 2, we would use the following formula:

unaryMinus(prop(“No 1”))

You can copy + paste the following code (formula:1) onto your Notion workspace to find the negative of the number…

unaryMinus(prop(“Number 1”))

Simply use the minus sign to find negative of number in Notion (Formula: 2)

This is a basic formula that essentially works on the following logic:

“Simply find the negative (-) sign to find the negative of the number”

Here’s the formula we are going to use to find the negative of a number in Notion:

-prop(“No 1”)

You can copy + paste the following code (formula:2) onto your Notion workspace to find the negative of a number…

-prop(“Number 1”)

Summary

Here’s what we learned about finding the negative of a number in Notion. We have used 2 formulas to find the negative of a number in a database.

  1. unaryMinus(prop(“Number 1”))
  2. -prop(“Number 1”)

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