(-3x^3)^2 why is the answer positive instead of negative?

Answer 1

According to a law in math, if a term is raised to an exponent you will distribute the exponent to the term...

so (-3x^3)^2 will be
-3^2 x^3*2

9x^6

Answer 2

That is the property of squaring anything, your answer is always positive whether you start with a positive or negative
because:

negative * negative = positive and
positive * positive = positive

this is why if you take the square root of 4 the answer is
pos or neg 2 (+/- 2) because the 4 could have come from either. And the square root of negative numbers do not exist, like sqrt of (-4).
if the problem were written like this:
-(3x^3)^2
then the answer would be negative becuase the negative sign is outside the squaring operation.

Answer 3

So if you write the problem out,

-3x^3 times* -3x^3
you have a negative three times a negative three. Any time you multiply two negatives, the answer is positive, so it'd be
-3 x -3= +9.

If it's the exponents that are confusing you, the ' ^3 ' is reffering to the x itself, so it's 'x to the third', not the 3 to the third.

I hope I did a well enough job explaining that..good luck! =]

Answer 4

Any negative number squared is always a positive number.

(-3x^3) * (-3x^3) is positive because a negative multiplied by a negative always equals a positive.

Answer 5

This is an even function, f(-x)=f(x). In the above form evaluate the term in parenthesis first, then apply the exponent.
or simplify the expression to (-3)^2*(x)^6. The result will always be a positve number.. If you are using a calculator make sure to include the parenthesis -3^2 is NOT the same as (-3)^2. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

(-3x^3)^2 is the same thing as (-3x^3)(-3x^3)
Since you are multiplying a negative by a negative you get a positive

Answer 7

Anything that is squared instantly becomes positive unless what is being squared is (-1)^.5, which isn't a real number anyways.

Answer 8

(-3x^3)^2
= (-3x^3)*(-3x^3)
= 9x^6