Case Study

Troubleshooting Calculation Errors in Data Auditing

A junior data analyst is auditing a legacy spreadsheet used for calculating material stress. The analyst notices that when the formula 2532-25^{\frac{3}{2}} is entered, the system returns a value of 125-125. However, when the formula (25)32(-25)^{\frac{3}{2}} is entered, the system returns a 'Domain Error: Not a Real Number.' Based on your training in mathematical notation and rational exponents, recall the specific rule that explains why the second expression is not a real number while the first one is.

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Updated 2026-04-19

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