Identify Operation and Signs: Identify the operation and the signs of the numbers; we're doing multiplication with a positive and a negative number.
Multiply Absolute Values: Multiply the absolute values: 9 times 8 equals 72.
Determine Sign of Answer: Determine the sign of the answer; since we're multiplying a positive number by a negative number, the result should be negative.
Combine Sign and Value: Combine the sign and the absolute value to get the final answer: −72.