Selena and Drake are evaluating the expression (StartFraction r s Superscript negative 2 Baseline Over r squared s Superscript n

Question

maks197457 [2]

3 years ago

13

Selena and Drake are evaluating the expression (StartFraction r s Superscript negative 2 Baseline Over r squared s Superscript n

egative 3 Baseline EndFraction) Superscript negative 1, when r = negative 1 and s = negative 2.
Selena’s Work
Drake’s Work

(StartFraction r s Superscript negative 2 Baseline Over r squared s Superscript negative 3 Baseline EndFraction) Superscript negative 1 Baseline = (r Superscript negative 1 Baseline s) Superscript negative 1 Baseline = StartFraction r Over s EndFraction = StartFraction negative 1 Over negative 2 EndFraction = one-half

(StartFraction (negative 1) (negative 2) Superscript negative 2 Baseline Over (negative 1) squared (negative 2) Superscript negative 3 EndFraction) Superscript negative 1 = (StartFraction (negative 1) (negative 2) cubed Over (negative 1) squared (negative 2) squared EndFraction) Superscript negative 1 = (StartFraction negative 8 Over 4 Endfraction) Superscript negative 1 Baseline = StartFraction 4 Over negative 8 EndFraction = negative one-half

Who is correct and why?
Selena is incorrect because she should have substituted the values for the variables first, and then simplifed.
Selena is correct because she simplified correctly and then evaluated correctly after substituting the values for the variables.
Drake is incorrect because he should have simplified first, before substituting the values for the variables.
Drake is correct because he substituted the values for the variables first, and simplified correctly

Mathematics