View more at http://www.MathTutorDVD.com. In this lesson, you will learn how to simplify expressions that involve negative exponents in algebra. First, we will show what a negative exponent is and how it relates to an exponent of zero (power of zero). Negative exponents represent small numbers, while positive exponents represent large numbers. We will simplify numerous expressions with zero and negative exponents in preparation for solving equations with a negative exponent.