Use the divison rule for exponents.
xmxn=x(m−n)
Just like when you write a fraction in simplest form ie 32, we rewrite this as 1 1/2.
In the final answer we can not report negitive exponents.
We take the smallest exponent across the divisor bar and subtract from the quanity currently there.
For example: −x−1 can be rewritten as (−x−1)x0 then we move -1 across the divisor bar because it is less than 0, then we have −(1)(x(0+1)) you are now asking why is it x(0+1), it is because when we subtract a negitive number we actually add it. Which makes it,−1x1, since we don't normally express 1 as an exponent.
Which makes our final answer:
−1x
