Why 2 to the Power of -2 Isn't as Scary as It Looks
I remember the first time I saw 2 to the power of -2 on a chalkboard and felt like I'd missed an entire week of school. Up until that point, exponents were pretty straightforward. If you had 2 to the power of 3, you just multiplied 2 by itself three times. Easy, right? But then the teacher throws a negative sign up there in the "attic" of the number, and suddenly the logic feels like it's been turned upside down. ...