When we raise a number to the power of negative 1, we are essentially taking the reciprocal of that number. For example, if we have a number x, then x-1 is equal to 1/x. This concept is rooted in the rules of exponents, which state that a negative exponent indicates that we should invert the base.
So, if you consider the number 2, raising it to the power of -1 would look like this:
2-1 = 1/2
Similarly, if we take a fraction, such as 3/4, raising it to the power of -1 results in:
(3/4)-1 = 4/3
In summary, a number raised to the power of -1 results in its reciprocal, which is a fundamental principle in mathematics that helps simplify equations and expressions.