An exponent of -2/3 includes three operations: the - sign requires that you have to flip your answer, the 2 requires that you must square the number, and the 3 requires that you find the cube root of the number.
These three operations can be done in any order:
(-8/125)-2/3 = (125/-8)2/3 (flip because of the - sign)
= (5/-2)2 (find the cube root)
= 25/4 (square the number)
An exponent of -2/3 includes three operations: the - sign requires that you have to flip your answer, the 2 requires that you must square the number, and the 3 requires that you find the cube root of the number.
These three operations can be done in any order:
(-8/125)-2/3 = (125/-8)2/3 (flip because of the - sign)
= (5/-2)2 (find the cube root)
= 25/4 (square the number)