The rule for making a negative exponent positive if it is a factor of either the numerator of the denominator: 1. If the base with a negative exponent is a factor of the NUMERATOR, move the base and exponent as a factor of the DENOMINATOR and change the sign of the exponent to positive. 2. If the base with a negative exponent is a factor of the DENOMINATOR, move the base and exponent as a factor of the NUMERATOR and change the sign of the exponent to positive. Yours is case 2, so bring the factor from the DENOMINATOR to the NUMERATOR and change the exponent "-3" to "3", like this: Then you can dispense with the 1: [Note: Be sure not to bring the 3 to the numerator with the x³ because the 3 already has an understood positive exponent 1, since 3 = 31.] Edwin