Electronics > Beginners
Exponents
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CatalinaWOW:

--- Quote from: metrologist on April 09, 2019, 02:14:52 am ---Yes, thanks all. I see no reasonable solution to my problem.

--- End quote ---

Nusa gave a good answer.  The problem is that language is less precise than written mathematics.  If you can't write it down you have to get verbose to get the same level of precision.

Another way to get the verbal precision -Spoken RPN.  4, Enter, 3, Enter, X^Y, CHS.  Again verbose, but that is the price you pay.  Writing it down solves the other problem.  The listener often cannot keep track of the verbage required for precision.
Wimberleytech:
If a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how long does it take for a chicken to lay two eggs?
0culus:

--- Quote from: metrologist on April 09, 2019, 01:39:37 am ---Well, the question was why isn't the negative considered in the calculation. It seemed obvious if one says y=3x-34, but not so much when you mouth minus three to the fourth. It sounds a lot like the square root of minus two. How would you mouth that properly? Minus two to the point five? But what if you wanted to actually say square root?

--- End quote ---

Think of it like this: $$0-3^4 = 0-81 = -81$$

There's no square root of -1 involved.

(yes you can in fact embed LaTeX in the forum!)
tggzzz:

--- Quote from: Buriedcode on April 09, 2019, 01:59:48 am ---Consider x4.  If x = -3 then the answer is 81.  If the equation was -x4  and x = -3 then it would be -(x4) or -1 * x4  = -81.  In that second instance because the exponent is even, the answer would be -81 for x = 3, or x= -3.  Brackets are important and I do see them left out of equations fairly often.

--- End quote ---

There were no brackets, so using the normal laws of arithmetic the answer is unambiguously -81.

Isn't BEDMAS taught any more? (Brackets, exponents, division, multiplication, addition, subtraction).

Of course if non-normal laws are being used, the answer can be anything you want; see APL for some interesting examples :)
Zero999:

--- Quote from: metrologist on April 09, 2019, 02:14:52 am ---Yes, thanks all. I see no reasonable solution to my problem.

--- End quote ---
Perhaps you meant this:
(-3)4 = 81
Note the brackets!

I've also seen using superscript for the minus, but don't know whether it's correct or not.
-34 = 81

Everyone who's posted above is right: -34 = -81
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