How do you simplify 4^-2 ?

2 Answers
Oct 28, 2015

1/16

Explanation:

Anything with a negative exponent is the inverse of it. So for example if I had 2^-2, I would write it as 1/2^2.

Now for your question:
4^-2 = 1/4^2 = 1/16=0.0625

Oct 28, 2015

The answer is 1/16.

Explanation:

The negative sign in the -2 exponent implies that the number changes sides in a fraction. In other words, the 4^-2 would move to the denominator. It would simplify to 1/4^2, or 1/16.