Question: how to calculate a number to a negative power?
Answer: A positive exponent tells us how many times to multiply a base number, and a negative exponent tells us how many times to divide a base number. We can rewrite negative exponents like x⁻ⁿ as 1 / xⁿ. For example, 2⁻⁴ = 1 / (2⁴) = 1/16.