b) \( -9^{2}= \)

When dealing with \( -9^{2} \), the exponent applies only to the 9, not the negative sign. So, you first calculate \( 9^2 \), which is 81, and then you bring back the negative sign, resulting in \( -81 \). It's a classic mistake to think \( -9^{2} \) means squaring negative nine directly—remember, parentheses matter! A fun way to think about it is to visualize a number line. Squaring a number always gives you a positive result, and a negative sign before the result flips it to the left of zero. So, \( -9^{2} \) sits firmly at -81—way down there in the "negative" territory!