Thread: [SOLVED] please help

How do you solve this ?


(-a) 5 + (-a)3 = ???

The book says the result is 8 but how do you get to that ??

(3 and 5 a 'to the power'.shoud be above right bracket but dont know how to write it)

Originally Posted by Moondancer

How do you solve this ?


(-a) 5 + (-a)3 = ???

The book says the result is 8 but how do you get to that ??

(3 and 5 a 'to the power'.shoud be above right bracket but dont know how to write it)

Originally Posted by Moondancer

How do you solve this ?


(-a) 5 + (-a)3 = ???

The book says the result is 8 but how do you get to that ??

(3 and 5 a 'to the power'.shoud be above right bracket but dont know how to write it)

"8" is wrong, unless there's a typo.

First, we have that when n is odd. So:


The only thing I can think of to do from here is to factor it:


By the way, to type powers without using LaTeX, use (-a)^5, etc.

-Dan

I agree with the others, there must be some mistake. I don't think we can get a "pure" number by solving .