Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY

{{JSRef}}

The Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY static data property represents the negative Infinity value.

{{InteractiveExample("JavaScript Demo: Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY")}}

function checkNumber(smallNumber) {
  if (smallNumber === Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY) {
    return "Process number as -Infinity";
  }
  return smallNumber;
}

console.log(checkNumber(-Number.MAX_VALUE));
// Expected output: -1.7976931348623157e+308

console.log(checkNumber(-Number.MAX_VALUE * 2));
// Expected output: "Process number as -Infinity"

Value

The same as the negative value of the global {{jsxref("Infinity")}} property.

{{js_property_attributes(0, 0, 0)}}

Description

The Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY value behaves slightly differently than mathematical infinity:

Any positive value, including {{jsxref("Number/POSITIVE_INFINITY", "POSITIVE_INFINITY")}} , multiplied by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is NEGATIVE_INFINITY.
Any negative value, including NEGATIVE_INFINITY, multiplied by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is {{jsxref("Number/POSITIVE_INFINITY", "POSITIVE_INFINITY")}} .
Any positive value divided by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is negative zero (as defined in IEEE 754).
Any negative value divided by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is positive zero (as defined in IEEE 754).
Zero multiplied by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is {{jsxref("NaN")}} .
{{jsxref("NaN")}} multiplied by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is {{jsxref("NaN")}} .
NEGATIVE_INFINITY, divided by any negative value except NEGATIVE_INFINITY, is {{jsxref("Number/POSITIVE_INFINITY", "POSITIVE_INFINITY")}} .
NEGATIVE_INFINITY, divided by any positive value except {{jsxref("Number/POSITIVE_INFINITY", "POSITIVE_INFINITY")}} , is NEGATIVE_INFINITY.
NEGATIVE_INFINITY, divided by either NEGATIVE_INFINITY or {{jsxref("Number/POSITIVE_INFINITY", "POSITIVE_INFINITY")}} , is {{jsxref("NaN")}} .
x > Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY is true for any number x that isn’t NEGATIVE_INFINITY.

You might use the Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY property to indicate an error condition that returns a finite number in case of success. Note, however, that {{jsxref("NaN")}} would be more appropriate in such a case.

Because NEGATIVE_INFINITY is a static property of {{jsxref("Number")}} , you always use it as Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY, rather than as a property of a number value.

Examples

Using NEGATIVE_INFINITY

In the following example, the variable smallNumber is assigned a value that is smaller than the minimum value. When the {{jsxref("Statements/if...else", "if")}} statement executes, smallNumber has the value -Infinity, so smallNumber is set to a more manageable value before continuing.

let smallNumber = -Number.MAX_VALUE * 2;

if (smallNumber === Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY) {
  smallNumber = returnFinite();
}

Specifications

{{Specifications}}

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}

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