Inequality

To make a positive with 3 terms, you can have positive * positive * positive = positive, or positive * negative * negative = positive. To ensure x is the smallest, we probably take the latter option. To minimize x, (x - 5) and (x - 3) would be logical to be negative, whereas (x + 5) would be positive. If x + 5 > 0, subtract 5 from both sides and you get x > -5. The smallest integer greater than -5 is x = -4.