document.write( "Question 69787: How do you solve:
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document.write( "x^-2=9 \n" );
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Algebra.Com's Answer #49752 by bucky(2189)![]() ![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! Your problem is:\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "The negative exponent means that the term raised to that negative value can be changed \n" ); document.write( "into a fraction having 1 as the numerator and the term with a positive exponent as the \n" ); document.write( "denominator. Easier to show by an example than to explain it.\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Think \"I can change \n" ); document.write( "of a fraction that has 1 as its numerator.\" When you do that your problem becomes:\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Then you can eliminate the denominator if you multiply both sides by \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "If you do that multiplication on the left side you have a fraction that has \n" ); document.write( "in both the numerator and denominator. This is equivalent to 1. On the right side the multiplication results in \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Dividing both sides by 9 gives:\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Now just take the square root of both sides. Notice that \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "of \n" ); document.write( "of \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "The two answers to this problem are:\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "You can check this by putting each of these answers (positive and negative) one at a time \n" ); document.write( "into the equation:\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "and see that with these values the left side of the equation equals 9.\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " |