Hi just curious when evalutating 5^-2
Would the answer be 25
Or would it be 0.4 = 2/5
I am lost
Neither.
Notice a^-2= 1/a^2 That is by DEFINTION.
1/25=.04
http://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#q=5%5E-2+
When evaluating an expression with a negative exponent, it means that you take the reciprocal of the base and change the sign of the exponent to positive.
In the case of 5^-2, the base is 5 and the exponent is -2. To evaluate it, you invert the base (take its reciprocal) and change the exponent to positive.
So, 5^-2 can be expressed as 1/5^2.
Now, calculate 1/5^2:
1/5^2 = 1/25
Therefore, the answer is 1/25. So, neither 25 nor 0.4 (2/5) is the correct answer. The correct evaluation of 5^-2 is 1/25.