SOLUTION: What does 5 to the negative 1 power equal?

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Question 1155922: What does 5 to the negative 1 power equal?
Found 3 solutions by josmiceli, MathLover1, Edwin McCravy:
Answer by josmiceli(19441) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
+5%5E%28-1%29+
Use the rule:
+a%5E%28-b%29+=+1%2F+%28a%5Eb%29+
--------------------------
+5%5E%28-1%29+=+1%2F5%5E1+
+5%5E%28-1%29+=+1%2F5+

Answer by MathLover1(20849) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

Negative one is a special value for an exponent, because taking a number to the power of negative one gives its reciprocal:
5%5E-1=1%2F5%5E1=1%2F5

Answer by Edwin McCravy(20054) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

Negative Exponent Rule:

Negative exponents in the numerator get moved to the denominator and become
positive exponents. Negative exponents in the denominator get moved to the
numerator and become positive exponents. Only move the negative exponents.

%28a%5E%28-1%29b%5E2c%5E%28-4%29%29%2F%28p%5E3q%5E%28-5%29r%5E%28-2%29%29

becomes:

%28b%5E2q%5E5r%5E2%29%2F%28a%5E1c%5E4p%5E3%29

Warning!: 

Don't do that if the expressions with the negative exponents are added
or subtracted, or are factors of something added or subtracted.

You can't follow that rule with:

%28a%5E%28-1%29%2Bb%5E2-c%5E%28-4%29%29%2F%28p%5E3%2Bq%5E%28-5%29-r%5E%28-2%29%29

So don't try!.  Just use the rule when the negative exponentials are only
multiplied or are factors of something multiplied (not added or subtracted).

Edwin