Solve for 4^(-1): Converting Negative Exponent to Reciprocal

Question

4−1=? 4^{-1}=\text{?}

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Solve
00:03 According to the laws of exponents, any number(A) to the power of(-N)
00:06 And as long as our number(A) is different from 0
00:09 equals 1 divided by the number(A) to the power of(N)
00:13 Let's apply to the question
00:16 4 becomes one-fourth and the power (-1) becomes 1
00:22 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-Step Solution

We begin by using the power rule of negative exponents.

a−n=1an a^{-n}=\frac{1}{a^n} We then apply it to the problem:

4−1=141=14 4^{-1}=\frac{1}{4^1}=\frac{1}{4} We can therefore deduce that the correct answer is option B.

Answer

14 \frac{1}{4}

More Questions

Related Subjects

Negative Exponents Exponents and Exponent rules Rules of Exponentiation Combining Powers and Roots Properties of Exponents Exponents - Special Cases

Question Types

Negative Exponents: Calculating powers with negative exponents Negative Exponents: Presenting powers with negative exponents as fractions Applying Combined Exponents Rules: Presenting powers with negative exponents as fractions Applying Combined Exponents Rules: Presenting powers with negative exponents as fractions Applying Combined Exponents Rules: Calculating powers with negative exponents Applying Combined Exponents Rules: Monomial