SOLUTION: 4 -----over (-3)^-3

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Question 74197This question is from textbook
: 4
-----over
(-3)^-3
This question is from textbook

Answer by bucky(2189) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
4%2F%28%28-3%29%5E%28-3%29%29
.
Let's work the denominator first. A quantity with a negative exponent can be changed to
have a positive exponent when it is divided into 1. So the denominator +%28-3%29%5E%28-3%29
is equal to +1%2F%28-3%29%5E3
.
Now in the denominator of this fraction you can cube the (-3) to get -27. So now the denominator
of the original problem can be written as 1%2F%28-27%29 and the original problem has been
converted to:
.
4%2F%281%2F%28-27%29%29
.
We are dividing 4 by the fraction 1%2F%28-27%29. But the rule is that when dividing
by a fraction you invert that fraction and multiply it times the quantity being divided.
.
When we invert 1%2F%28-27%29 it becomes -27%2F1 or just -27. So we multiply 4 by -27
to get the answer of -108.
.
That's the answer to this problem ... -108.
.
Hope that this helps you see how to handle negative exponents and how to divide by fractions.