The expression a^(m-n) represents an exponentiation operation where a is the base, and m and n are the exponents. This notation indicates that you are raising a to the power of the difference between m and n . In simpler terms, it shows how many times to multiply a by itself, depending on the values of m and n . When m is greater than n , a^(m-n) results in a positive exponent, meaning the value will be greater than 1 if a > 1 . Conversely, if m is less than n , the exponent becomes negative, leading to a fraction \frac1a^{(n-m)} . This concept is fundamental in algebra and is related to the properties of exponents, such as the {