Chapter 7 - Exponents and Exponential Functions - 7-1 Zero and Negative Exponents - Practice and Problem-Solving Exercises - Page 422: 42

1/25

We follow the instructions and plug -3 in for r and 5 in for s. This leaves us with the expression: $-3^{0} \times 5^{-2}$ Recall the equation: $a^{-n}= \frac{1}{a^{n}}$. Also, remember that anything raised to the zeroth power is 1. Thus, this expression simplifies to: $1/ 5^{2}= 1/25$