SOLUTION: What is -9/7m*-9/7n

Algebra ->  Exponents -> SOLUTION: What is -9/7m*-9/7n      Log On


   

Question 983781: What is -9/7m*-9/7n
Found 2 solutions by Alan3354, josgarithmetic:
Answer by Alan3354(69443) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
What is -9/7m*-9/7n
===============
It's a multiplication problem.
---
But, you need to clarify the denominators.
Is it (-9/7)m ?
Or -9/(7m) ?
----

Answer by josgarithmetic(39630) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Truthfully, -9/7m*-9/7n is ambiguous.

No groupings shown; two operation symbols directly neighboring; you might really mean this:
-9/7m*(-9)/7n

Using order of operations for multiplications and divisions going strictly from left to right:
(-9m)/7*(-9)/7n
(-9m)(-9)/7/7n
(-9m)(-9)/(7*7)n
(-9m)(-9)n/(7*7)
((-9)(-9)mn)/(49)
81mn/49

Same steps but including the rendering tags:
%28-9m%29%2F7%2A%28-9%29%2F7n---Beware that the rendering on this site does not handle all of this correctly, so it looks wrong.
%28-9m%29%28-9%29%2F7%2F7n-----and looks wrong here too;
%28-9m%29%28-9%29%2F%287%2A7%29n
%28-9m%29%28-9%29n%2F%287%2A7%29
%28%28-9%29%28-9%29mn%29%2F%2849%29
81mn%2F49

I believe your original expression SHOULD be shown as this:
((-9/7)m*(-9)/7)n
which when rendered looks as it should, this way: %28%28-9%2F7%29m%2A%28-9%29%2F7%29n
You must excuse all the parentheses. The site makes a certain typeset rendering mistake which will not handle ungrouped division followed by multiplication.