1.6 F) Multiplication & Division with Negative Powers
Whenever we have a negative power and we are multiplying or dividing power, the rules for multiplication and division are the same. The rules are given below:
> For multiplication, we add the power providing that the bases are the same.
> For division, we take the powers providing that the bases are the same.
However, we just need to make sure that we are careful with the signs.
Example 1
What is:
The bases are the same (both of them are y) and we are multiplying, which means that we will be adding the powers.
Example 2
What is:
The bases are the same (both of them are f) and we are dividing, which means that we are going to be taking the powers away from one another.
Example 3
What is:
The bases are both g and we are dividing, so we are going to be taking powers.
Subtracting makes a positive, which means that we have.
Raising a Power to Another Power
Whenever we have a negative power that is raised to another negative power, we multiply the two powers.
Example 4
What is:
We multiply the two powers, but we just need to be careful of the signs of the numbers that we are multiplying.