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## anonymous 5 years ago hello, Amistre64?

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1. amistre64

hi :)

2. anonymous

o.O

3. anonymous

Hey, you are still here! And it's me with these blasted exponents again! What are the rules for negative exponents?

4. anonymous

Like 2^-3/4, what is that answer?

5. anonymous

How do you write it out to figure the answer no matter what the exponents are?

6. anonymous

$a^{-b}=\frac{1}{a^{b}}$

7. anonymous

ok, so 2^-3/4 is 1/2^3/4? What is the value of that then?

8. amistre64

$2^{-3/4} \iff \frac{1}{2^{3/4}}$

9. anonymous

you can split up the fraction. (2^3)^(1/4)=8^(1/4) 1/(8^(1/4))

10. anonymous

ok, so are the answers ever negative when you have a negative exponent? It looks to me like they are always positive!

11. anonymous

sure -2^-3=-1/8

12. anonymous

but thaqt is where the base number is negative. what about the exponent being negative?

13. amistre64

programs dont like to see a ^-exp

14. amistre64

a negative exponents is a symbol for inverse; and the inverse of a rational number is just flipping it over

15. anonymous

i am very very confused. How can -2^-3 be -1/8

16. anonymous

(-2)^-3=1/(-2)^3=1/-8=-1/8

17. anonymous

Ah! I see! Ok...this is so confusing I am scared

18. amistre64

$-2^{-x} \iff \frac{-1}{2^x}$ ${-1\over 2^3} = {-1\over8}$

19. anonymous

its not so bad after you've practiced enough just keep doing problems

20. anonymous

so does 1/1^1/2 equal 1?

21. anonymous

sqrt(1)=1 yep

22. amistre64

$1^{anything}=1$

23. anonymous

anything^0=1

24. anonymous

ok, but what if it is 1/3^1/2? What the answer then?

25. anonymous

0^0=1 is debatable though I think

26. amistre64

$\sqrt{1/3}$

27. amistre64

${1\over\sqrt{3}} \iff {\sqrt{3}\over3}$

28. anonymous

wait a minute, Amistre64, why is that sqrt of 1/3? Isn't it just 1/sqrt3?

29. anonymous

same thing, sqrt(1)=1

30. amistre64

$\sqrt{{1\over3}}\iff {\sqrt{1}\over\sqrt{3}}\iff \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}\iff \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}$

31. anonymous

My problem in particular is the following: -1-2(1)^1/2. That's what I cannot figure out.

32. amistre64

that looks to be -3

33. anonymous

Wait TYPO!!! sorry! Do Not Reply to that. It's -1-2(1)^-1/2

34. amistre64

$-1-2(1^{1/2})$

35. amistre64

$-1-2(1^{-1/2})$

36. amistre64

$-1-2(1^{-1/2}) \rightarrow 1^{anything}=1$ $-1-2(1) \iff -1-2=-3$

37. anonymous

ok, but what if that said -1-2(3)^-1/2

38. anonymous

What does 3^-1/2 equal

39. anonymous

oh wait! That =1/sqrt3, right?

40. amistre64

yes

41. amistre64

tell me; what does an exponent mean?

42. anonymous

ok, so then what if it is 3^-3/4? Would that be 1/4throot of 27?

43. anonymous

I do not know how to define an exponent. Sorry.

44. amistre64

it is simply a way to write large numbers; it tells us how many times we multiply to get the number it represents

45. amistre64

do you know what multiplication is?

46. anonymous

That i know!

47. amistre64

multiplication is a way of writing large numbers; and it tells us how many times we add the number to itslef

48. amistre64

2+2+2+2+2+2 = ? = 6(2) right?

49. anonymous

yes

50. amistre64

2.2.2.2.2.2 = ? = 2^6

51. amistre64

that is all an exponent amounts to

52. amistre64

tell me: if a positive exponent means to multiply; what does a negative exponent tell us?

53. anonymous

you know that problem up there, the one I said I needed to figure out? They are saying that the answer to - -2(1)^-1/2 is=-1 not -3.

54. amistre64

then you prolly mis notated it

55. amistre64

or the program could be in error :)

56. anonymous

Sorry typo again. It's -1-2(1)^-1/2 Let me try to use the equation thing.

57. amistre64

a negative exponent indicates division; since its the opposite of multiplication right?

58. anonymous

$-1-2(1)^{-1/2}$

59. amistre64

2^-3 means: ((1/2)/2)/2 = 1/8

60. amistre64

$-1-2(1)^{-1/2} = -1-2(1) = -1-2 = -3$

61. anonymous

ok! This is sooooo hard. I just can't get a grasp on it. I;m sorry. I'm so frustrated I could cry! I have been wroking on this single problem for 6 hours and I cannot get it right.

62. amistre64

you know what we do when that happens? we say 'next' and move on lol

63. amistre64

one answer to one math problem aint gonna end the world dear :)

64. anonymous

But all these problems have these exponents in them and I cannot get any of them right!

65. amistre64

are they in a book? or on the computer?

66. anonymous

I mean ALL of them have exponents! And that's alot of wrong answers, not just one!

67. anonymous

They are on my MathXL program for my class

68. amistre64

do you know how to get a screen shot?

69. anonymous

No, I dont' even know what that is.

70. amistre64

look near your keys on the keyboard that you never use; pause, break, scroll lock.... and tell me if you see a 'PrtScrn' key

71. anonymous

yes I do. What does it do?

72. amistre64

its the 'print screen' key; it takes a picture of whatever is on your screen

73. anonymous

ok, so then what do I do with it?

74. amistre64

do you have a paint program on your computer? you on windows?

75. anonymous

I am on windows 7, but I don't know how to use paint or anything like that. Not only do I suck at math I suck at computers and most things!

76. amistre64

click: START -> PROGRAMS -> ACCESSORIES -> PAINT

77. anonymous

ok, then what do I do when I open paint?

78. amistre64

you tell me that youve opened it lol

79. anonymous

oh you are a funny one!

80. amistre64

you ever copy and paste anything in a text document?

81. anonymous

I opened it but it took up so much of the screen I cannot see this one. I have copied and pasted. How do I do that aFTE I take a creen shot of the screen?

82. anonymous

That wierd word is after

83. amistre64

in paint, just rightclick the mouse and pick 'paste' or hold down your 'ctrl' key and press the 'v' key

84. anonymous

when i click screen shot, where si the picture of the screen saved?

85. anonymous

THAT weird word is "is" not si.

86. amistre64

its saved in memory; the steps are: 1; press the 'prtscrn' key 2; open paint 3; hold down the 'ctrl' key and press the 'v' key

87. anonymous

ok let me try that. If I blow up my computer...; )

88. amistre64

...... blame the kid lol

89. anonymous

i never thought I'd be laughing over this calculus today...thanks! Let me try that!

90. anonymous

ok, I have it on the paint screen, now what do I do with it?

91. amistre64

click: File. click: Save in the box that opens press 'desktop' to save it on your desktop then you can attach it to the post inhere with the 'attach file' button at the bottom of the screen

92. anonymous

ok, but you are sure asking alot of a dummy, buddy. ; )

93. amistre64

:) baby steps

94. anonymous

95. anonymous

Hey, I just got an achievement award for that! I like this place!

96. amistre64

lol..you did it yay!!

97. amistre64

is this the problem your working on?

98. anonymous

That is the problem with the answer for the whole mess in that box.

99. amistre64

why dont i just step you thru this problem instead of trying to guess what you need lol

100. anonymous

ok, if you don't mind!

101. amistre64

you aint doin a derivative of nuthin; your integrating ...

102. anonymous

what does integrating mean, anyway?

103. amistre64

first step is to make life easier by turning it into a sum of parts...like this: $\frac{s^2+\sqrt{s}}{s^2}\iff \frac{s^2}{s^2}+ \frac{s^{1/2}}{s^2}$

104. amistre64

$1 + s^{1/2 - 2} \iff 1+s^{-3/2}$

105. amistre64

it means to undo a derivative for now

106. amistre64

$\int_{} 1+s^{-3/2}ds$ is the problem

107. amistre64

which becomes the intergral of sums like this: $\int_{}1ds+\int_{}s^{-3/2}ds$

108. amistre64

$\int_{}1ds \implies s$ $\int_{}s^{-3/2}ds \implies \frac{s^{-(3/2)+1}}{-(3/2)+1}$

109. amistre64

$s + \frac{s^{-1/2}}{-1/2} \implies s-2s^{-1/2} from|1,\sqrt{11}|$

110. amistre64

$\sqrt{11}-2(\sqrt{11})^{-1/2} - (1-2(1)^{-1/2})$

111. amistre64

$\sqrt{11}-\frac{2}{\sqrt{\sqrt{11}}} -1 +2$ $\sqrt{11}-\frac{2}{\sqrt[4]{11}}+1$

112. amistre64

does this look better yet?

113. amistre64

is the answer in the box what they say is correct?

114. anonymous

the answer in the box is the one they say is correct, yes.

115. amistre64

then i guess i can stop at that lol

116. anonymous

so in other words, you know exactly what you are doing!!!

117. amistre64

ive been known to yes :)

118. anonymous

oh boy. I really need to work that. It's the end with the -1 or 3 that I keep getting confused. I knew that answer would be either one but the exponent throws me off and I don't know if it's a positive one or a negative one.

119. amistre64

post another question; cause i think this ones getting wacky with all the replies; and attachthe next file for the next question and lets see if we can work thru it

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