
| x | y |
| 1/2 | 0 |
| 1/4 | 1/2 |
| 1/8 | 2/3 |
| 1/16 | 3/4 |
| 1/32 | 4/5 |
| 1/64 | 5/6 |
| 1/128 | 6/7 |
| 1/256 | 7/8 |
| 1/512 | 8/9 |
| 1/1024 | 9/10 |
| ½^n | (n - 1)/n |
Since ½ is the reciprocal of 2, the negative powers of ½ are the positive powers of 2 & vice versa!

| x | y |
| 2 | 2 |
| 4 | 3/2 |
| 8 | 4/3 |
| 16 | 5/4 |
| 32 | 6/5 |
| 64 | 7/6 |
| 128 | 8/7 |
| 256 | 9/8 |
| 512 | 10/9 |
| 1024 | 11/10 |
| 2^n | (n + 1)/n |
Also, remember this fact about fractions & mixed numbers:

You can also see this fact on the Main Page of the Math Section.
Also, notice how I didn't use the exclamation mark as the factorial function!
Back to Index Page Back to Math Trick Menu
© Derek Cumberbatch