[tex] 6^{-2} [/tex] is a positive value.
This is because when you put a number to the power of a negative, the negative forms the reciprocal of the number, so [tex] 2^{-1} [/tex] would be 1/2, as 2/1 × 1/2 = 1, which is what a reciprocal does.
When the negative is more than 1, you simply put the number to that power, and then form the reciprocal of that, which makes [tex] 6^{-2} [/tex] equal to 1/36, which is positive.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions :)
