Question

Why can you not do negative numbers to the power of 1. 5?.

Answer 1

Lets say we have (-1)^(1.5)

Explanation:

(-1)^(1.5) = (-1)^(3/2)

= (√(-1))^3 which has no solution in the real number field, as √(-1) does not exist.

In the complex number field √(-1) = i, and (-1)^(1.5) = i^3 = -i.