If a base is raised to the neg. exponent
flip the term + change the exponent to positive
If a base is raised to a negative exponent, it means that it is in the denominator of a fraction. In other words, it means that the number is reciprocal or the inverse of the base raised to a positive exponent.
For example, if we have 2^-3, it is the same as 1/(2^3) which is equal to 1/8. This is because 2^3 is equal to 8, and the negative exponent inverts the fraction to give its reciprocal.
In general, if we have a base b raised to a negative exponent n, it is equal to 1/(b^n) or the reciprocal of b^n. So, b^-n = 1/(b^n).
It is important to remember that the negative exponent only applies to the base and not to any other terms in the expression. For example, if we have (3x)^-2, it is equal to 1/[(3x)^2] and not 1/(3x)^2.
Lastly, when simplifying expressions with negative exponents, we can move any negative exponents to the denominator by changing their sign to positive. This is a useful technique when working with complex expressions or fractions.
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