FTCE General Knowledge Math Practice Test 2025 – Complete Exam Prep

Question: 1 / 400

In the expression 2^-3, what does the negative exponent indicate?

To multiply by 2 three times

To divide by 2 three times

The expression 2^-3 involves a negative exponent. A negative exponent indicates the reciprocal of the base raised to the absolute value of that exponent. Therefore, 2^-3 can be rewritten as 1/(2^3).

Calculating 2^3 results in 8, so 2^-3 equals 1/8. This demonstrates that a negative exponent indicates that instead of multiplying by the base, you are actually dividing by that base raised to a positive exponent, which in this case means dividing by 2 three times.

This concept is crucial for understanding how powers and exponents work in mathematics, especially when dealing with expressions that contain negative exponents.

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To add 2 three times

To raise 2 to the power of 3

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