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Well what you do is you do it normally but you turn the answer of the positive it into the denominator of a fraction and a one as the numerator.

for example -10 to the 4 power is 1/10,000

for more help go to: http://www.myalgebra.com/ or http://www.webmath.com/index.html

P.S. im 12 and just learned this 2 weeks ago myself. lol

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Q: What do you do when there is an exponent on a negative number?
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How do you raise anumber to a negative exponent?

A number to a negative exponent is the inverse of the number to the positive exponent. That is, x-a = 1/xa


Is a number raised to a negative exponent greater than 1?

No, a number raised to a negative exponent is less than 1. When a number is raised to a negative exponent, it is inverted and the exponent becomes positive. This means that the value of the number decreases as the exponent becomes more negative.


Why is a number to a negative exponent a fraction?

Because a number to the exponent 0 = 1 and any lesser exponent decreases the value.


What does it mean when an exponent is a negative number?

A negative exponent is the reciprocal of the corresponding positive exponent. 102 = 100 10-2 = 1/100


What is the negative exponent law?

If you have a negative exponent, then put 1/the number multiplied by itself the number of times of the exponent. For example: 3-2=1/(3x3)=1/9


What are the rules for a number with a negative exponent?

A number with a negative exponent should be treated as the reciprocal of that same number with the analogous positive exponent. For example, 42 = 16, but 4-2 = 1/42 = 1/16.


What happens if your number has a negative exponent?

That number becomes an exponent. For example, 5 to the -2 power is 1/25


When is the exponent negative?

When you subtract it from a bigger exponent of another number by dividing two numbers with exponents.


What happens to a negative number with a positive exponent?

It will become a positive number.


What do you do when you have a negative number to a negative exponent?

it would be a negative multiplied by a negative and your answer should end up positive.


How do you solve a positive number with a negative exponent?

turn the positive number into its recipricol and the put the number of the negative number on the top


When will the exponent be negative in scientific notation form?

The exponent will be negative when the absolute value of the number is between 0 and 1. For example, 1X10-1 is 0.1.