Understanding negative exponents
NEGATIVE EXPONENTS
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When raising a base to a negative exponent, find the reciprocal of the base.
The definition indicates that negative exponents give us reciprocals, as the following examples illustrate.
Simplify 2-3
The first step is to rewrite the expression with a positive exponent, by using our definition. After that, we simplify.
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Definition of negative exponents |
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The cube of 2 is 8 |
Simplify (-3)-2
The fact that the base in this problem is negative does not change the procedure we use to simplify:
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Definition of negative exponents |
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The square of -3 is 9 |
Simplify
Simplify
