-e^-3.9n-1 - 1 = -3

Without parentheses to tell me what is exponent and what is times what I do not have the slightest idea.

well, clearly the spacing indicates

-e^(-3.9n-1) -1 = -3
e^(-3.9n-1) = 2
-3.9n-1 = ln2
n = -(1+ln2)/3.9

Of course, I could be way off...

To solve the equation -e^(-3.9n-1) - 1 = -3, we can follow these steps:

Step 1: Add 1 to both sides of the equation:
-e^(-3.9n-1) - 1 + 1 = -3 + 1
Simplifying,
-e^(-3.9n-1) = -2

Step 2: Multiply both sides of the equation by -1 to get rid of the negative sign:
-1 * (-e^(-3.9n-1)) = -1 * (-2)
Simplifying,
e^(-3.9n-1) = 2

Step 3: Take the natural logarithm (ln) of both sides of the equation to eliminate the exponential function and solve for n:
ln(e^(-3.9n-1)) = ln(2)
Applying the property of logarithms (ln(e^x) = x),
-3.9n - 1 = ln(2)

Step 4: Add 1 to both sides of the equation:
-3.9n - 1 + 1 = ln(2) + 1
Simplifying,
-3.9n = ln(2) + 1

Step 5: Divide both sides of the equation by -3.9 to isolate n:
(-3.9n) / -3.9 = (ln(2) + 1) / -3.9
Simplifying,
n = (ln(2) + 1) / -3.9

So, the solution to the equation -e^(-3.9n-1) - 1 = -3 is n = (ln(2) + 1) / -3.9.