%5E-1-without-exponent.jpeg "(-5)^-1 Without Exponent")
Understanding (-5)^-1 without Exponents
The expression (-5)^-1 involves a negative base and a negative exponent. To understand this expression without exponents, let's break it down:
Understanding Negative Exponents
A negative exponent signifies the reciprocal of the base raised to the positive version of that exponent. In other words:
x^-n = 1 / x^n
Applying this to our expression
In our case, we have:
(-5)^-1 = 1 / (-5)^1
Since any number raised to the power of 1 is itself, we have:
1 / (-5)^1 = 1 / (-5)
Final Result
Therefore, (-5)^-1 without exponents is equivalent to -1/5.
This demonstrates how negative exponents are used to represent reciprocals, providing a way to express fractions using only powers.