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First: You don't want any negative exponents. I'll give two examples-
5^-2 / 5^2. What you would do is switch the negative exponent to the other side, changing the negative exponent to a positive, and if there's nothing there, replace it with a one.
So, now you have 1/ 5^2 * 5^2. Simplify
1/ 25 * 25
1/625. There's your answer.
With variables:
x^2 / y^-3. Switch the negative to a positive, placing it on the other side. Since the denominator becomes one and all you have are numerators, the denominator isn't needed (but you can still use it while learning the concept).
x^2 * y^3. A fully simplified answer.
I hope this helps!
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Can you have negative exponents in the denominator?
You can have negative exponents anywhere. When they are in the denominator, they are equivalent to positive exponents in the numerator of a fraction.
How will you simplify expressions with negative exponents to get positive exponents?
A negative exponent becomes positive in the reciprocal. So if you have a number a^x where x is negative, then, a^x = 1/(a^-x) and, since x is negative, -x is positive.
How do you change powers with negative exponents to powers with positive exponents?
by doing reciprocal
How do you figure out negative exponents?
They are the reciprocals of the positive exponents. Thus, x-a = 1/xa
What is a negative decimal divided by a positive decimal?
You just divide like you would divide any other decimal, and then... Positive and Positive = Positive Negative and Negative = Positive Positive and Negative = Negative I hope my answer helped! :)
