What does 10 raised to the power of negative 4 mean?

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When we talk about raising 10 to a power, we’re referring to the process of multiplying 10 by itself a certain number of times. A power of negative four, written as 10-4, indicates a specific mathematical operation: it is the reciprocal of 10 raised to the power of 4.

To break it down:

  1. Calculate 10 raised to the power of 4:

    104 = 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 = 10,000

  2. Now, since we have a negative exponent, we take the reciprocal of that result:

    10-4 = 1 / 104 = 1 / 10,000

  3. Therefore:

    10-4 = 0.0001

In more practical terms, 10-4 represents a very small number, specifically one ten-thousandth. This concept is particularly useful in various fields such as science and engineering, where such diminutive quantities often arise.

So, to sum it up: 10 to the power of negative 4 is equal to 0.0001.

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