BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

Negative Number Raised to a Power

Problem Solving — algebra and arithmetic (GMAT Focus Edition)
Expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 253
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 8:39 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 8 times
by BlindVision » Mon Mar 23, 2009 3:42 pm
Can someone refresh me on a rule or illustrate the logic that a negative number raised to any power still yields a negative answer?

examples:

-2^2 = -4

-2^5 = -32

-3^2 = -9

-3^3 = -27
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Quantitative Reasoning |
Legendary Member
Posts: 2467
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2008 6:14 pmFollowed by: 11 members
Thanked: 331 times

by cramya » Mon Mar 23, 2009 3:59 pm
(negative integer) raised to (even positive power) is positive.


(-2) ^ 2 = 4 (not -4 as stated above)

(-2) ^ 4 = 16

(negative integer) raised to (odd positive power) is negative

(-2)^3 = -8
(-2)^1 = -2

Hope this helps.
Last edited by cramya on Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:58 am
Thanked: 2 times
GMAT Score:600

Typo

by Bhattu » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:00 am
cramya wrote:(negative integer) raised to (even positive power) is positive.


-2 ^ 2 = 4 (not -4 as stated above)

-2 ^ 4 = 16

(negative integer) raised to (odd positive power) is positive.

-2^3 = -8
-2^1 = -2

Hope this helps.
I think there was a typo, shouldn't it be = (negative integer) raised to (odd positive power) is negative?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2623
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 3:17 amFollowed by: 355 members
Location: Montreal
Thanked: 1090 times
GMAT Score:780

by Ian Stewart » Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:28 am
cramya wrote:(negative integer) raised to (even positive power) is positive.

-2 ^ 2 = 4 (not -4 as stated above)
Here, it really depends on how the expression is written. If you raise -2 to the power of 2, the answer is certainly positive 4. That is, if you have:

(-2)^2

that is equal to 4, because this is equal to (-2)*(-2). However, if the negative is not enclosed in brackets, as was written in the original post:

-2^2

then by order of operations (BEDMAS), we must raise 2 to the power 2 first, then take the negative of that. So, if there are no brackets,

-2^2 = -4

because this is equal to -(2)*(2).
For online GMAT math tutoring, or to buy my higher-level Quant books and problem sets, contact me at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com

ianstewartgmat.com
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:58 am
Thanked: 2 times
GMAT Score:600

Negative raised to power

by Bhattu » Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:11 am
Thanks for that - helps clarify that for me and also probably a careless error I should be aware of
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 253
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 8:39 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 8 times

by BlindVision » Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:23 am
Ian Stewart wrote:
then by order of operations (BEDMAS), we must raise 2 to the power 2 first, then take the negative of that. So, if there are no brackets,

-2^2 = -4

because this is equal to -(2)*(2).
What does the "B" in "BEDMAS" stand for? "Brackets"? Thank you!
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2623
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 3:17 amFollowed by: 355 members
Location: Montreal
Thanked: 1090 times
GMAT Score:780

by Ian Stewart » Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:12 am
BlindVision wrote:
Ian Stewart wrote:
then by order of operations (BEDMAS), we must raise 2 to the power 2 first, then take the negative of that. So, if there are no brackets,

-2^2 = -4

because this is equal to -(2)*(2).
What does the "B" in "BEDMAS" stand for? "Brackets"? Thank you!
Yes, 'brackets'. The mnemonic is sometimes presented as 'PEDMAS', where the P stands for 'parentheses'.
For online GMAT math tutoring, or to buy my higher-level Quant books and problem sets, contact me at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com

ianstewartgmat.com
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 2467
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2008 6:14 pmFollowed by: 11 members
Thanked: 331 times

by cramya » Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:38 pm
Thanks Ian.


Bhattu, I have corrected the typo.

Regards,
CR
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1