method of attack:
PEMDAS
1. begin with [-(-3)] = 3
2. so it becomes 10^(3^2)
3. then it becomes 10 ^ 9
Answer: E
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exponent rule
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mdavidm_531
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Bill@VeritasPrep
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Depends on the parentheses:fangtray wrote:I thought A^b^c = A^bc?
(a^b)^c = a^bc
a^(b)^c = a^(b^c)
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tomada
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I see that the parentheses comes first, so we get 10^3^2, but I don't see why this becomes 10^(3^2) instead of (10^3)^2.
The negative of -3 is the only term within brackets, so both the "10^" and "^2" operations are outside of the term in parentheses/brackets.
With operations at the same level, doesn't the first such operation - reading from left to right - occur first?
The negative of -3 is the only term within brackets, so both the "10^" and "^2" operations are outside of the term in parentheses/brackets.
With operations at the same level, doesn't the first such operation - reading from left to right - occur first?
I'm really old, but I'll never be too old to become more educated.
what if there were no parenthesis...we've worked on many problems where simplying the exponent was just to multiple it..Bill@VeritasPrep wrote:Depends on the parentheses:fangtray wrote:I thought A^b^c = A^bc?
(a^b)^c = a^bc
a^(b)^c = a^(b^c)
for example a^b^c 2^3^4 = 2^81? or 2^12..
how am i just finding out about this now..haha... i've done like so many problems involving simplifying exponents and multiplying the exponents was right, and i've ALWAYS multiplied the exponents in the problems.. i think this is the first problem i've come across that requires me to do it differently.
