Carcass wrote:
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
\((-3)^4\) |
\((-3)^{-3}\) |
A)The quantity in Column A is greater.
B)The quantity in Column B is greater.
C)The two quantities are equal.
D)The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Two important rules:
ODD exponents preserve the sign of the base. So, (
NEGATIVE)^(
ODD integer) =
NEGATIVEand (
POSITIVE)^(
ODD integer) =
POSITIVEAn EVEN exponent always yields a positive result (unless the base = 0)
So, (
NEGATIVE)^(
EVEN integer) =
POSITIVEand (
POSITIVE)^(
EVEN integer) =
POSITIVE--------------------------------------
Since 4 is EVEN, \((-3)^4=\) some POSITIVE number
Since -3 is ODD, \((-3)^{-3}=\) some NEGATIVE number
We get:
Quantity A: some POSITIVE number
Quantity B: some NEGATIVE number
Answer: A
Cheers,
Brent