# Why can neither GeoGebra, nor MathWay solve this simple math problem?

$\frac{e^{0.75}}{-0.5^e+10000}$

This doesn't work either:

$\frac{2.72^{0.75}}{-0.5^{2.72}+10000}$

I can even solve it with a calculator.

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I don't understand the problem. Did you look up how to correctly enter mathematical expressions in those programs? How did you try to enter them? – Jonas Meyer Jun 5 '12 at 11:13
(e^0.75)/((-0.5)^e+10000) – Friend of Kim Jun 5 '12 at 11:19
And with 2.72 instead of e – Friend of Kim Jun 5 '12 at 11:19
screencast.com/t/OBW9dbURsXF screencast.com/t/Sv3ZzWKJYJMy A = the intersection between a and g. – Friend of Kim Jun 5 '12 at 11:22

First of all, $(-0.5)^e$ is not the same as $-0.5^e$.

Secondly, $x^y$ is not well defined (at least not as a real number) if $x < 0$ and $y$ is not an integer.

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I know that there is a difference between (−0.5)^e and −0.5^e, none of them worked. So you are saying that they cannot solve it because of their scripts, not because the math is not supposed to work? – Friend of Kim Jun 5 '12 at 11:39
@50ndr33 From your reply in the comment above, you seemed confused about the difference. (You wrote one thing in the question, another in the comment.) I don't have any of the two programs you mention available, but I know there are some programs that get the priority rules wrong, i.e. interpreting $-0.5^e$ as $(-0.5)^e$. Wolfram Alpha gets it right: wolframalpha.com/input/?i=e%5E0.75%2F%28-0.5%5Ee%2B10000%29 – mrf Jun 5 '12 at 11:52

Mathway refuses to numerically evaluate. Geogebra Does evaluate the expression correctly

e^(.75)/(10000-.5^e)


Gives

a=0


but if you right click on a and go to object properties the value says

0.00021


Then as others have stated before me the expression you typed and what you are asking geogebra to evaluate are not the same thing $-.5^e \neq (-.5)^e$. The expression $(-.5)^e$ isn't even well defined. – Nate Iverson Jun 5 '12 at 15:48
So the expression $x^e$ is only a well defined real number if $x \ge 0$. Your calculator may be giving you one of the possible complex multi-valued solutions. – Nate Iverson Jun 5 '12 at 15:49