How do you simplify #-12^-1#?

2 Answers
Mar 16, 2018

-1/12

Explanation:

The negative exponent means that the number will go to the denominator.
#-12^-1 = -1/12#
The negative still stays.

Mar 16, 2018

#-1/12#

Explanation:

#-12^-1=1/-12=-1/12#

any number (except 0) raised to the power of a negative exponent becomes the reciprocal (or multiplicative inverse) of that number (e.g. #5^-2=1/5^2=1/25#).