Simplify
-9^2
Negative nine squared
To simplify -9^2, we need to follow the order of operations (also known as PEMDAS/BODMAS). According to the order of operations, the first step is to perform any operations inside parentheses, which doesn't apply in this case.
The next step is to simplify any exponents. In -9^2, the exponent is 2. To evaluate this, we need to raise -9 to the power of 2. However, there is a negative sign in front of the 9.
To correctly assess the negative sign's effect, we can rewrite the expression as (-9)^2. By placing the -9 in parentheses, we ensure that the negative sign applies to the entire value, rather than only the 9.
Now, we can calculate (-9) raised to the power of 2. This means multiplying -9 by itself: (-9) * (-9) = 81.
Therefore, the simplified value of -9^2 is 81.