how do you work this problem:
16^(1/2) on paper, without using a calculator.
Ans. is: 4
Thanks, Edna
16^(1/2) is the same as taking the square root of 16, so:
16^(1/2) = sqrt(16) = 4
Anytime you see a fractional exponent this is how you rearrange it, let's take 2^(4/2):
2^(4/2) = sqrt(2^4) = 2^2 = 4
As you can see, the numerator of the fraction stays as an exponent while the denominator tells you what root to use. You can have square root (x^(1/2)), cubic root (x^(1/3)), quartic root (x^(1/4)), and so on.