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Integer ExponentsRecall that DEFINITION OF EXPONENT If n is a natural number, then where a appears as a factor n times. In the expression ZERO AND NEGATIVE EXPONENTS If a is any nonzero real number, and if n is a positive integer, then (The symbol EXAMPLE 1 Exponents The following properties follow from the definitions of exponents given above. PROPERTIES OF EXPONENTS For any integers m and n, and any real numbers a and b for which thefollowing exist: EXAMPLE 2 Simplifying Exponential Expressions Use the properties of exponents to simplify each of the following. Leave answers with positive exponents. Assume that all variables represent positive real numbers. CAUTION If Example 2(e) were written |