x^-5 x^5 for the x^-5 would you multiply it out as a regular exponent then put a negative in front of the x so it would look like this in the end -x^5 x^5
2007-03-26 01:51:41 · 7 answers · asked by Stacy M 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
so again if i had the problem 7m^-2then it would be 7/m^2
2007-03-26 02:05:46 · update #1
No, negative means it is a fraction. For example, 2^-2 = 1/(2^2) = 1/4. So x^(-5) = 1/(x^5).
Steve
EDIT - Yes, your additional details are completely correct
2007-03-26 01:55:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
When you have a negative exponent, you can deal with it in various ways depending what you are doing in the problem. The simplest way to think of negative exponents is to remember that you can make them into positive exponents by moving them to the bottom of a fraction. So x^-5 is the same as 1/(x^5).
If you wanted to multiply (x^-5)*(x^5), you could think of it as 1/x^5 * x^5, which would give you x^5/x^5 = 1.
You could also remember that when you multiply common variables, you can add their exponents. For instance, x^2 * x^3 means (x*x)*(x*x*x). Since you have 5 x's multiplied together, it could be written as x^5. To save time, you could have added the 2 and 3 to get the 5 exponent.
The same is true even when you have a negative exponent. If you want to multiply x^-5 * x^5, you can add -5 + 5 to get zero. So your answer would be x^0. And ANYTHING to the ZERO POWER = ONE!!!
2007-03-26 02:00:07 · answer #2 · answered by T F 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no. x^-5 = 1/x^5
so x^-5 * x^5 = x(5 - 5) = x^0 = 1
2007-03-26 01:56:56 · answer #3 · answered by metalluka 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
5^(-2) = one million/5^2 (any detrimental exponent is comparable to one million over that kind to the helpful style of that exponent) (-2)^2/5 = 4/5 (any detrimental cases a detrimental is a favorable, so -2 squared is comparable to -2 cases -2, that's 4) 2x^-3 / 5y = 2/5x^3y (following a similar good judgment because of the fact the 1st situation) ok, with that final situation i concept the 2x wasn't in parentheses, because of the fact regardless of if it is not than purely the x is to the detrimental 0.33. If this is in parentheses, nonetheless, it would be one million/40x^3y. yet yeah, if it is not in parentheses this is what i reported the 1st time.
2016-11-23 16:29:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not its not that at all...for example 3^-2 should be done like this
1/(3^2)
make the exponent positive and divide 1 by that whole and that will give u the answer....
3^-2=.11 repeated
1/(3^2)=.11 repeated
2007-03-26 01:58:00 · answer #5 · answered by br0hamus 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
nope... if your asked to multiply those two, then all you have to do is add the exponents... It's that simple...
so... (x^-5)(x^5) = x^(-5+5) = x^0 = 1
to explain... x^-5 = 1/x^5, so multiplying it to x^5 would just cancel both terms
2007-03-26 01:56:19 · answer #6 · answered by Paolo Y 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no, use negative exponent rule:
x^-5 = 1/x^5
2007-03-26 01:56:27 · answer #7 · answered by mikedotcom 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋