Question

What does it mean to have a positive exponent?

Answer 1

Having a positive exponent means having a positive number as a power for a value or a variable.

For example:

`x^(2)`
Here, the variable x has a positive exponent because it has a power of positive (+) 2


`(1)/( 2^(4) )`
This expression has a positive exponent because the number 1 has a power of positive (+)1 and the number 2 has a power of positive (+)4


`x^(-2)`
This is not a positive exponent because the variable x has a power of negative (-)2
The positive exponent for
`x^(-2)` is
`(1)/( x^(2) )`.


`(1)/( 2^(-4) )`
This expression doesn't have a positive exponent. Though number 1 in the numerator has a positive power (exponent), the number 2 in the denominator has a power of negative (-)4
The positive exponent for
`(1)/( 2^(-4) )` would be
`2^(4)`.

NOTE: The terms Power and Exponent have he same meanine i.e. They are the same !!!