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metrologist:
What is the answer to this?

-34
Nusa:

--- Quote from: metrologist on April 09, 2019, 01:00:25 am ---What is the answer to this?

-34

--- End quote ---

  -81
metrologist:
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?
Nusa:
It was considered in the WRITTEN calculation, using the traditional order of precedence, and you got the entire answer you asked for.

Verbally, you need to make clear the order of operations in some manner.

Minus three to the fourth vs The negative of three to the fourth.

Square root of minus three vs negative square root of three.


Buriedcode:
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.
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