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Simplifying and
Simplify the expressions and to understand the impact of parentheses on the base and the final sign when raising a negative number to an even power:
ⓐ : The base is . The exponent instructs to multiply by itself four times: . Multiplying an even number of negative factors yields a positive product.
ⓑ : The base is . The expression indicates the opposite of . First, calculate the power: . Next, apply the negative sign to obtain .
These examples highlight that parentheses include the negative sign in the repeatedly multiplied base, producing a positive result for an even exponent. Without parentheses, the exponent is applied only to the positive integer, and the result is negated afterward according to the order of operations.
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Order of Operations in Algebra
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