The expression (-1)^n means the number -1 multiplies itself n times.
So for example if n = 2, we have that:
[tex](-1)^2=(-1)\cdot(-1)=1[/tex]For n = 3, we have:
[tex](-1)^3=(-1)\cdot(-1)\cdot(-1)=1\cdot(-1)=-1[/tex]For n = 4:
[tex](-1)^4=(-1)^2\cdot(-1)^2=1\cdot1=1[/tex]We can see that the result alternates from -1 and 1, and when n is odd, the result is -1, and when n is even, the result is 1.
So for any even number n, the result will be 1.
