 Exponents can be fractions or decimals, as in 53/2, 27-2/3 or 100.2. We'll look at what these rational exponents mean, and how to evaluate them. 
Consider the powers at the left. We know what it means to multiply 4 once ... it's 4. Similarly we know that 4 multiplied by itself, or 42, is 16. But what does in mean to multiply 4 by itself 'one and a half' times? Let's look at a simpler example first. What is the value of 40.5 or 41/2 ? Here's the answer:  A fractional exponent is equivalent to a radical. In particular, when the fraction has numerator '1 ': In words: 'A power of x with an exponent 1 over n is the same as the nth root of x' In symbols:  Here are a few examples:   This one could be evaluated If the exponent is negative, do that first
Now let's look at fractional exponents where the numerator isn't one. Go on to page two ... |