The expression you provided is $3x^{-2}$.

The exponential term here is $x^{-2}$. The base of the exponential term is $x$, because the exponent is applied to $x$.

Now, let's simplify the expression $3x^{-2}$:

• By the rule of exponents, $x^{-n} = \frac{1}{x^n}$, so: $3x^{-2} = 3 \times \frac{1}{x^2} = \frac{3}{x^2}$

So, the simplified form of the expression is $\frac{3}{x^2}$.

Let me know if you'd like more details on any part of the process!

Here are 5 related questions to explore further:

1. How do negative exponents work in general?
2. Can you simplify the expression $2x^{-3} + 4x^{-1}$?
3. What happens when you have multiple negative exponents in a product like $x^{-1}y^{-2}$?
4. How can you combine terms with negative exponents?
5. What is the difference between $x^{-n}$ and $-x^n$?

Tip: To simplify terms with negative exponents, always move the term with the negative exponent to the denominator and change the sign of the exponent to positive.