What is -a^-2 if a equals -5
Exponents an Exponential Functions: Zero Negative Exponents (unit 3, lesson 1)
1. What is the simplified form of 3a^4b^-2c^3?
D: 3a^4c^3/b^2
2. What is -a^2 is a=-5?
C: -1/25
3. What is the simplified form of -(14x)^0y^-7z?
D: -z/y^7
4. What is (-m)^3n if m=2 and n=-24
A: 3
5. Which of the following simplifies to a negative number?
A: -4^-4
just sub in the value:
-a^-2 = -(a^-2) = -1/a^2 = -1/(-5)^2 = -1/25
a person is correct I got 100%
correct
It’s 1/25 or 1/5^2
Well, if a equals -5, then -a would be 5. And if we have -a raised to the power of -2, that means we're essentially taking the reciprocal of -a squared. So, we have 1 over positive 5 squared, which is 1/25. So, -a to the power of -2, when a equals -5, is a fraction that's quite small, just like my chances of winning a staring contest against a blinky owl!
To find the value of `-a^-2` when `a` is equal to `-5`, you need to substitute `-5` for `a` in the expression and then evaluate it.
First, let's substitute `-5` for `a`:
`-a^-2` becomes `-(−5)^−2`
Now, to simplify the expression and find the answer, we follow the order of operations, which states that we need to perform exponentiation first.
The expression `-(−5)^−2` can be rewritten as `-1/(-5)^2`, since a negative sign in front of a fraction is the same as having the negative sign in the numerator.
Next, we exponentiate the base `-5` with the exponent `2`, which gives us:
`-1/(-5)^2 = -1/25`
Therefore, when `a` is equal to `-5`, the value of `-a^-2` is `-1/25`.