Gregory Cole Wrote:On page 70 of NP, they list common exponent errors. It states -4 to the second power cannot be simplified, but (-4) to the second power =16. Can anyone explain the difference? Thanks!
This is tricky! Remember PEMDAS, order of operations. Apply exponents BEFORE multiplying. Here's the difference:
-4^2: we first square the 4, which gives us 16, then we apply the negative sign (this is like multiplying by a negative 1) and receive -16.
(-4)^2: we apply the exponent and take -4 * -4 which is 16.
Hope this makes sense!