Question

Determine whether or not (-2^34)15 would be positive or negative. Explain your reasoning.

A. Positive
B. Negative

Answer 1

The expression (-2^34)×15 is negative because the result of raising 2 to any even power is positive, and when multiplied by 15, the negative sign from the initial term indicates the final result will be negative.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine whether the expression (-2^34) × 15 is positive or negative, we must consider the rules of multiplication regarding the signs of numbers. Let's break down the expression:

• The base number 2 is positive.
• The exponent 34 is even, which means that 2 raised to the 34th power remains positive.
• As a consequence, -2^34 is negative because the negative sign applies to the already computed positive result of 2^34.
• Multiplying this negative result by a positive 15 will follow the rules stating that a positive times a negative is negative.

Therefore, the entire expression is negative.