M mebeep New member Joined Jan 10, 2013 Messages 1 Jan 10, 2013 #1 can someone please explain fractional exponents clearly and concisely? I'm trying to understand from my textbook, and I'm just not getting any of it.
can someone please explain fractional exponents clearly and concisely? I'm trying to understand from my textbook, and I'm just not getting any of it.
J JeffM Elite Member Joined Sep 14, 2012 Messages 7,874 Jan 10, 2013 #2 mebeep said: can someone please explain fractional exponents clearly and concisely? I'm trying to understand from my textbook, and I'm just not getting any of it. Click to expand... I am not sure there is much to think about. It is a definition. Why do we call a table a "table" instead of a "chair." \(\displaystyle x^{(a/b)} \equiv \sqrt{x^a}.\) What about that do you not understand? It turns out to be a useful definition because it allows us to extend the laws of exponents from integer powers to rational powers.
mebeep said: can someone please explain fractional exponents clearly and concisely? I'm trying to understand from my textbook, and I'm just not getting any of it. Click to expand... I am not sure there is much to think about. It is a definition. Why do we call a table a "table" instead of a "chair." \(\displaystyle x^{(a/b)} \equiv \sqrt{x^a}.\) What about that do you not understand? It turns out to be a useful definition because it allows us to extend the laws of exponents from integer powers to rational powers.
