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For example, 10 to the power -2 is defined as being the same as 1 divide by (10 to the power 2).Defining it this way ensures that many common rules for exponents continue being valid for all numbers, positive or negative - for example, (x to the power a) times (x to the power b) = x to the power (a + b).

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8y ago
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8y ago

It is the same as the reciprocal of the base raised to the corresponding positive exponent.

b^-x = 1/(b^x) = (1/b)^x

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Q: What does it mean when a base is raised to a negative exponent?
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What does the term negative exponent mean in math?

the exponent is a negative


What does exp mean in a mathematical equation?

it can either mean the number e raised as an exponent or it can mean just simply and exponent.


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


Do negative exponent not mean to make the base number negative?

No, there is a big difference between 2^(-4) and (-2)^4 The first is 1/16 and the second is 16. A negative exponent is the reciprocal of a positive exponent. a^b is going to be 1/ (a^(-b)), Similarly, (a^b)*(a^(-b))=1 for two reasons. First multiplying reciprocals cancels them out. Second, when you multiply the same base you add the exponents, so (a^b)*(a^(-b)) = a^0 which equals 1◄


What does power in math mean?

What a number is raised to. Three (the base) to the third power = 33 = 3*3*3 The power or the exponent tells us how many times the base takes place in a repeated multiplication.


What does exponential mean?

Numbers that are raised to an exponent either increase or decrease at an extremely fast rate.


What does base to the power of 2 mean?

It means that there is a power, some number is the base, and 2 is the exponent.


What are negative intergery exponents?

I assume you mean "negative integer exponents".It means that: * It is an exponent * It is an integer (whole number) * It is negative (less than zero, i.e., with a minus sign) A negative exponent is defined as the reciprocal of the positive exponent. For example, 10 to the power -5 is the same as 1 / (10 to the power 5).


What does 5E-5 mean?

5E-5 is scientific notation representing the number 5 multiplied by 10 raised to the power of -5. This can be expanded to 0.00005 in standard decimal notation. The "E" in 5E-5 stands for exponent, indicating the number of decimal places the decimal point should be moved to the left (negative exponent) or right (positive exponent).


Meaning of Base in Math?

It could mean the base of a number system, such as decimal is base-10, or binary is base-2, or hexidecimal is base-16. Or it can refer to when a number has an exponent, like 23, 2 is the base, and 3 is the exponent. Or ex, where e represents the base of the natural logarithm. Here is another word 'base'. This is related to the base/exponent meaning.Another meaning for base is in solid geometry, such as a cylinder has a base (the circle part).


What does a negative exponent mean?

"Dose" is a measured portion of a medicine. I am not aware of any exponents that have anything to do with measured quantities of medication! A negative exponent is simply the reciprocal of the corresponding positive exponent. Thus x^(-a) = (1/x)^a for non-zero x.


What is 0.1 as a negative exponent?

0.1 = 10^-1