What is 3^-2 (it is 3 to the -2 squared)
I thought the answer was 1/9
and my friend thought it is .1 repeated
.1 with the line over it
can you tell us which one of us is correct?
Thank you
You are both correct since
.1111.... = 1/9
(do 1÷9 on your calculator)
To find the value of 3^-2, we need to take the reciprocal of 3^2.
First, let's evaluate 3^2. This means multiplying 3 by itself: 3 * 3 = 9.
Next, we take the reciprocal of 9, which means dividing 1 by 9. The reciprocal of any number is obtained by flipping the numerator and denominator: 1/9.
Therefore, the correct answer is indeed 1/9. Your friend's answer of 0.1 repeated (0.1̅) is incorrect.
To avoid confusion in the future, it is important to understand the negative exponent rule. When you have a negative exponent, it means you have to take the reciprocal of the number raised to that power. In this case, 3^-2 means taking the reciprocal of 3^2, which results in 1/3^2 or 1/9.