Question

What is the common rule for simplifying a negative exponent with a coefficient?
Ex: 3^-1

Answer 1

Anything to a negative power becomes the inverse with the coefficient to a positive power.
For example, 3^-1 becomes 1/3^1 or just 1/3.
3^-2 would be 1/3^2 or 1/9.

Answer 2

Negative exponents in the numerator get moved to the denominator and become positive exponents

Explanation:

In any problem where the exponent is given in negative can be solved by taking negative exponents in the numerator to the denominator and become positive exponents.

For instance the given problem can be solved as writing 3 ^ -1 as 1/3

So the rule is moving the exponent to the denominator and make it positive