Final answer:
The expression 7^-2 simplifies to 1/49, by rewriting the negative exponent as a reciprocal and squaring the base.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks to simplify the expression 7^-2. The expression 7^-2 can be rewritten as 1/(7^2) because a negative exponent indicates that the base should be taken as the reciprocal. Therefore, 7^-2 is equivalent to 1/(7^2) which simplifies to 1/49. Hence, the correct answer is 1/49. This is a common type of problem in algebra where we are required to apply the laws of exponents to simplify expressions.