document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=74197>Question 74197</A>This question is from textbook <A HREF=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0131492594/algebrahomeworkh></A><BR>\n" );
document.write( ": <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\">  4<BR>\n" );
document.write( "-----over<BR>\n" );
document.write( "(-3)^-3 </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #53253 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><B>bucky(2189)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=53253\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=4%2F%28%28-3%29%5E%28-3%29%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"4%2F%28%28-3%29%5E%28-3%29%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Let's work the denominator first.  A quantity with a negative exponent can be changed to <BR>\n" );
document.write( "have a positive exponent when it is divided into 1.  So the denominator <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=+%28-3%29%5E%28-3%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"+%28-3%29%5E%28-3%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( "is equal to <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=+1%2F%28-3%29%5E3 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"+1%2F%28-3%29%5E3\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Now in the denominator of this fraction you can cube the (-3) to get -27.  So now the denominator<BR>\n" );
document.write( "of the original problem can be written as <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=1%2F%28-27%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"1%2F%28-27%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > and the original problem has been<BR>\n" );
document.write( "converted to:<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=4%2F%281%2F%28-27%29%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"4%2F%281%2F%28-27%29%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "We are dividing 4 by the fraction <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=1%2F%28-27%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"1%2F%28-27%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >. But the rule is that when dividing<BR>\n" );
document.write( "by a fraction you invert that fraction and multiply it times the quantity being divided.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "When we invert <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=1%2F%28-27%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"1%2F%28-27%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > it becomes <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=-27%2F1 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"-27%2F1\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > or just -27.  So we multiply  4 by -27 <BR>\n" );
document.write( "to get the answer of -108.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "That's the answer to this problem ... -108.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Hope that this helps you see how to handle negative exponents and how to divide by fractions.\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "  </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</TD></TR></TABLE>\n" );