54. We need to find the value of the expression
In order to do so, we can use the following definition for exponentials:
In this problem, we have x = 12. Thus, we can evaluate the expression as follows:
Let's see another way to find the same result.
Notice that when a number has the positive exponent n, it means that we have a product of n factors of that number. For example:
On the other hand, when the exponent is negative, by definition, the minus sign tells us to find the inverse of that number. For example:
Also, notice that 1 to any exponent equals 1. For example:
So, we can write:
Therefore, the value of the given expression is 12.