Raising a number to a negative exponent gives you the reciprocal of the same number raised to the corresponding positive exponent. For example, 32 = 9, so 3-2 = 1/9
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why the exponents can not be negative
When multiplying numbers with exponents, you add the exponents.
property of negative exponents
Positive exponents: an = a*a*a*...*a where there are n (>0) lots of a. Negative exponents: a-n = 1/(a*a*a*...*a) where there are n (>0) lots of a.
They can be written as reciprocals with positive exponents. For example, 5-7 = (1/5)7