Evaluate 1/2a^–4b^2 for a= –2 and b= 4.
A. 2
B. 1/2
C. 3
D. 4
What exponent follows the "a^" ?
You need to use some parentheses to clarify what the exponents are. Also, is (1/2) at the beginning a multiplying coefficient or is the following a in part of the denominator?
the exponet for a^ is -4. And 1/2 is the beginning of the problem.
To evaluate 1/2a^–4b^2 for a = -2 and b = 4, we simply substitute the values of a and b into the expression.
First, let's substitute a = -2 and b = 4 into the expression:
1/2(-2)^-4(4)^2
Now, let's simplify the expression using the order of operations (also known as PEMDAS). First, we calculate the values of the exponents:
1/2(1/(-2)^4)(4^2)
= 1/2(1/16)(16)
= 1/2(1/16)(256)
Next, we multiply the values:
1/2 * 1/16 * 256
= 1/32 * 256
= 256/32
= 8
Thus, the value of 1/2a^–4b^2 for a = -2 and b = 4 is 8.
Therefore, the correct answer is not listed among the options provided.