Carcass wrote:
Not totally true because x is certainly negative. However, the power is even and the result is positive.
At this point the mental process is the follow
1) have a negative power I shift to the fraction
2) Now I have 1/x^10 and 1/y^5
x is negative but the power is even so the result is positive and y^5 as well
A this point all depends on the magnitude of x and y
x=1 and y =1000000 A is bigger.
Vice versa B is bigger
Carcass listen,
For the sign, the exponent does matter only when the base is between brackets... Only in that case, exponent has the power to change the sign of the base. In question, x is not covered with brackets. That means the exponent can only change the value of the base not the sign of it. Even power could have rendered the base positive IF sign was covered UNDER the even power.
(-1)^-10 is not same as -1^-10. The first is 1 and the second -1.
I would like to look up the book you got this question from, though.