What do u do with a negative exponent of two?

I wrote some excellent notes for this but the thread will not display in the new forum. Drats!!!!

Anyway, here is a site that might help.

http://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/negative-exponents.html

A negative exponent just means that the base is on the wrong side of the fraction line, so you need to flip the base to the other side. For instance, "x^–2" (ecks to the minus two) just means "x², but underneath, as in 1/(x²)".

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• Write x^–4 using only positive exponents.

• Write x² / x^–3 using only positive exponents.

• Write 2x^–1 using only positive exponents.

 

Note that the "2" above does not move with the variable; the exponent is only on the "x".

• Write (3x)^–2 using only positive exponents.

Unlike the previous exercise, the parentheses meant that the negative power did indeed apply to the three as well as the variable.

my notes from math class