How Do You Convert Between Radicals And Fractional Exponents?
If not explained well this concept can seem really overwhelming. However it is not bad at all you just have to remember the power is always over the root. The first thing to do is think of a simple example (ie. square root x is the same as x raised to the 1/2 power). Now think about where the 1 and 2 came from in the fraction. The 1 is the power of x (it is usually not written unless is greater than one). The 2 is the index (or root) of the radical (again on radicals it is implied to be a two unless another number is there). Now just remember the power is always on the top and the root is always at the base holding things together so that is how they change into a fraction. Another example: The third root of z to the 7th power could be written as z^(7/3).
