Question

a^-2+a^-1b-b^2/ a^2b^-1
anyone knows how to do this? :o

Answer 1

HI!!

Answer 2

i think i do
i take it those are negative exponents right?

Answer 3

You're just simplifying, correct?

Answer 4

\[\huge \frac{a^{-2}+a^{-1}b-b^2}{a^2b^{-1}}\]??

Answer 5

is that it or not quite?

Answer 6

Parenthesis would be really helpful here\[(a ^{-2}+a^{-1})(b-b^{-2})\div (a^{2})(b^{-1})\]

Answer 7

If that's what you're going for

Answer 8

@misty1212 yes that's right & @Occisor i'm guessing it just says perform the operation.

Answer 9

Divide each term in the numerator by the denominator.

Answer 10

\[\large \frac{a^{-2}}{a^2b^{-1}}+\frac{a^{-1}b}{a^2b^{-1}} -\frac{b^2}{a^2b^{-1}}\]

Answer 11

you get nothing real nice out of this, just three terms as @Jhannybean wrote

Answer 12

Remember this rule? : \(\large \frac{x^m}{x^n} = x^{m-n}\)

Take for example \(x=a\). Now \(a\) is being divided by itself but with 2 different powers, \(n=-2~,~ m=2\). So what you would do here is.... \[\large \frac{a^{-2}}{a^2} = a^{-2-2} = a^{-4} = \frac{1}{a^4}\]

Answer 13

@babyx3boo is anything making sense?...

Answer 14

sorta; it's just weird doing what you said i got

1/a^-4b^-1 + 1/a^-3b^2-b^3/a^2

Answer 15

You have to change the sign if you move the variable from the numerator to denominator or denominator to numerator