How can the quotient of powers law be used to show that a negative exponent is equivalent to the reciprocal of the positive exponent?

Question

asked Jun 6, 2023 67.2k views

1 Answer

Bittrance · Answer 1 · 2023-06-13T07:23:12+0000

Answer:Thus, (-3)-4 = 1/(-3)4.

Explanation:

Negative exponents have the following property: n-m = 1/nm OR 1/n-m = nm

So for (-3)-4 , n= -3 and -m= -4 (or m= 4).

Thus, (-3)-4 = 1/(-3)4.