Understanding the Expression

• 1). Write down the fractional exponent you need to clear. If you are working with a complicated expression, it can be helpful to take it apart in order to deal with the fractional exponents within it. To help yourself think, deal with each fractional exponent in the expression individually and then put the cleared fractional exponents back into the expression once you are done.
  
  
• 2). Remember that fractional exponents work with the same rules that integral exponents do. If you multiply two exponential terms with the same base together, the powers add. Similarly, dividing the terms will cause the powers to subtract, and raising an exponential term to another power, be it fractional or integral, will require multiplying the powers together.
  
  
• 3). Remember that taking the square root of a term is equivalent to finding two other numbers that, when multiplied together, equal that term. Similarly, taking the cubed root is finding three numbers that do such a thing, and so on with other roots.
  
  

Evaluating the Expression

• 1). Remember that the term being raised to a fractional exponent will not affect how the fractional exponent is cleared. For this reason, it is sometimes easy to refer to the term as simply x, instead of worrying about what the term is. This is especially helpful when an entire expression containing multiple terms is raised to a fractional exponent.
  
  
• 2). Split the fractional exponent up into an exponential term raised to a fraction with a numerator of one that is raised to an integer. For instance, you might split up (x^4/3) into (x^1/3)^(4). This will make it easier to clear the fractional exponent. Note that you do not need to do anything if the term you are working with is raised to a fraction that already has a numerator of one.
  
  
• 3). Now, convert the expression you have obtained into a root. To do so, know that the denominator of the fractional exponent will become the degree of the root, while the numerator will become the power to which the term is raised. Because you have made the numerator one, you can ignore it, for a term raised to one is simply that term. The power you have raised the once-exponential term to can now simply be applied to this root expression. For instance, (x^1/3)^(4) would become (the cubed root of x)^(4).
  
  
• 4). To simplify this expression, remember that a root raised to an exponent is equivalent to the term inside the root raised to that exponent. This means that you can take the power from outside the root and apply it only to the term inside the root. Because this power is not fractional, you will have successfully cleared the fractional root. For instance, the above example would be (the cubed root of x^4) when fully simplified.