A positive exponent tells us how many times to multiply a base number, and a negative exponent tells us how many times to divide a base number. ... We can rewrite negative exponents like x⁻ⁿ as 1 / xⁿ.
Can an exponent be a negative number?
A negative exponent is defined as the multiplicative inverse of the base, raised to the power which is opposite to the given power. In simple words, we write the reciprocal of the number and then solve it like positive exponents. For example, (2/3)-2 can be written as (3/2)2.
What is a negative exponent rule?
Exponents: Negative exponents - Exponents
In other words, the negative exponent rule tells us that a number with a negative exponent should be put to the denominator, and vice versa. For example, when you see x^-3, it actually stands for 1/x^3.
