Question

... why is 1/x^2 considered a simpler version of x^-2?

Answer 1

Because it's much easier to see what 1/x^2 is than x^-2. for example, I can easily do 1/2^2 in my head, but to solve 2^-2 you'd first think that that is the same as 1/2^2, then solve to get 1/4.