Question

Find the product. $$-(-1)^{5}$$

Short answer

The product is 1.

Step-by-step solution

Exponentiation

Perform the exponentiation operation inside the parentheses. Any number to the odd power maintains it sign. Hence, \( (-1)^{5} = -1 \)

Negation operation

The negation of a number changes the sign of the number. So, the negative sign in front of the parentheses changes the sign of the result we obtained in the previous step. In other words, we take the negation of -1, which becomes positive: \(-(-1) = 1 \).