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If n is a negative integer, is defined only if x has a multiplicative inverse. [37] In this case, the inverse of x is denoted x −1, and x n is defined as (). Exponentiation with integer exponents obeys the following laws, for x and y in the algebraic structure, and m and n integers:
The integer n is called the exponent and the real number m is called the significand or mantissa. [1] The term "mantissa" can be ambiguous where logarithms are involved, because it is also the traditional name of the fractional part of the common logarithm. If the number is negative then a minus sign precedes m, as in
A negative base (or negative radix) may be used to construct a non-standard positional numeral system.Like other place-value systems, each position holds multiples of the appropriate power of the system's base; but that base is negative—that is to say, the base b is equal to −r for some natural number r (r ≥ 2).
By comparison, powers of two with negative exponents are fractions: for positive integer n, 2 −n is one half multiplied by itself n times. Thus the first few negative powers of 2 are 1 / 2 , 1 / 4 , 1 / 8 , 1 / 16 , etc.
The process for subtracting fractions is, in essence, the same as that of adding them: find a common denominator, and change each fraction to an equivalent fraction with the chosen common denominator. The resulting fraction will have that denominator, and its numerator will be the result of subtracting the numerators of the original fractions.
Zero to the power of zero, denoted as 0 0, is a mathematical expression that can take different values depending on the context. In certain areas of mathematics, such as combinatorics and algebra, 0 0 is conventionally defined as 1 because this assignment simplifies many formulas and ensures consistency in operations involving exponents.
A rational fraction is the quotient (algebraic fraction) of two polynomials. Any algebraic expression that can be rewritten as a rational fraction is a rational function. While polynomial functions are defined for all values of the variables, a rational function is defined only for the values of the variables for which the denominator is not zero.
When exponents were introduced in the 16th and 17th centuries, they were given precedence over both addition and multiplication and placed as a superscript to the right of their base. [2] Thus 3 + 5 2 = 28 and 3 × 5 2 = 75. These conventions exist to avoid notational ambiguity while allowing notation to remain brief. [4]