How do I calculate negative powers?

The power of a number indicates how many times that number must be multiplied by itself. If the power is a negative, this means that the number (or the base) is a fraction, with the base as a denominator. For example, 10-1 = 1/10. For more difficult numbers, e.g. 8-5, this is the same as saying 1/85, or 1/40.

MN
Answered by Molly N. Maths tutor

10592 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

You put £800 in a bank account, which earns you 3.5% compound interest per year. How much interest would you have earned after seven years?


The number of uniform spherical balls that can be produced from a given mass of lead is inversely proportional to the radius of the ball cubed. If 2744 balls can be made when the radius is 1mm, how many balls can be made when the radius is 1.4mm ?


Solve the simultaneous equations 3x + 2y = 4 and 4x + 5y = 17


Jon and Nik share money in the ratio 5 : 2 Jon gets £150 more than Nik. How much money do they share altogether?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning