Math: the meaning of a negative exponent
As a math tutor, you’ll need to remind students about this exponent law.
Most exponent laws people find pretty straightforward. I’ll likely cover them in a future post. However, this particular one deserves its own; most people just don’t like it. Let’s discover it’s really not so bad.
Rule:
Example:
Notice the fraction version:
Example:
A consequence of this rule is that a negative power, if on the bottom, can be moved to the top and made positive:
Example:
The rule needs to be followed literally. Like most rules in math, it often doesn’t lead to the final answer. Rather, it normally occurs as a step on the way to the final answer. Apply it exactly, then proceed!
Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.