33/3^-1 .

Question

A sloth moves along a tree at 3^-1 m each minute. How long will it take a sloth to climb a tree that is 33 m tall?

Answer 1

Having a negative exponent means that your nominator and denominator flip, and the exponent stays with the number it was with. (ie 2^-3 = 1/2³)

 

Since the exponent is only a power of 1, this becomes a fairly easy problem

 

33 = x/3

Answer 2

Hi Brenna;

A sloth moves along a tree at 3^-1 m each minute. How long will it take a sloth to climb a tree that is 33 m tall?

speed=(1/3)meters/minute

distance=33 meters

distance=(rate)(time)

(distance)/(rate)=time

(33 meters)/[(1/3)meters/minute]=time

1/3 in the denominator is the equivalent of 3/1, or 3, in the numerator.

The units of meters/minute in the denominator, is the equivalent of minutes/meter in the numerator.

(33 meters)[(3)(minutes/meter)]=time

The unit of meters is in the numerator and denominator.  It cancels...

(33 meters)[(3)(minutes/meter)]=time

(33)(3)(minutes)=time

99 minutes=time

Answer 3

 33m/ (3 ^-1  m/Min)

 

 33m / ( 1/3 m/ minute) =99 minutes