Question

3^-2 expanded form

Answer 1

3^(-2) = 1/(3^2) = 1/(3*3) = 1/9

The rule used here is x^(-y) = 1/(x^y) to make the exponent positive.

3^2 turns into 3*3 because the exponent 2 tells us how many copies of the base '3' to multiply out.