Understanding negative exponents activity with answers

A negative exponent means "one over" the same power with a positive exponent.

• Rewrite a negative power as a fraction: 50⁻⁵ = 1 over 50⁵
• Move a power from the bottom to the top and flip its sign: 1 over 9⁻⁹ = 9⁹
• Keep the base unchanged; only the exponent sign changes
• Notice that the value never turns negative

Negative exponents come from 8.EE.A.1, a Grade 8 standard, so this page is a stretch beyond Grade 6.

Make sure your child is solid with positive exponents before printing this page.

• Read each question as a sentence: "10 to the minus 4 is one over 10 to the 4".
• Ask where the power sits: on the top or on the bottom of the fraction.
• Tick only after saying why the other choice is wrong.

The second page marks all 18 answers.

• Making the number negative: 10⁻⁴ is 1 over 10⁴, a small positive number, not -10⁴.
• Keeping the minus sign when flipping: 1 over 2,500⁵ is right for 2,500⁻⁵, while 1 over 2,500⁻⁵ is not.
• Changing the base: 1 over 17⁻³ is 17³, not 3¹⁷.

Note: for 1 over 1⁻⁹, both choices 1⁻⁹ and 1⁹ equal 1; the key ticks 1⁹. Next, try estimating square roots.