
Rebecca R. answered 09/10/12
Certified Math Teacher with Years of Tutoring Experience
You can choose to think of this as a two step simplification.
The "2" in the denominator means you'll be taking the square root of the base (4, in this case). If the denominator were a 3, you would take the third root, a 4, you would take the fourth root, etc. Taking the square root of 4 gives you 2.
Now look to the numerator, and that will be your exponent - in other words you will have 2 to the 3rd power (2^3), which simplies to 8 (2 * 2 * 2).
Quick recap:
- Step 1: Take the square root of 4 (because the denominator is 2!)
- (This will give you 2^3)
- Step 2: Raise 2 to the 3rd power (because the numerator is 3!)
Entering it into a calculator depends on the type of calculator you are using!
Ms S.
09/20/15
Emilee F.
03/06/14