The conversation between human and AI assistant.
Why can't the variable in a polynomial have a fraction or decimal as its exponent?
I see. But aren't there situations where non-integer exponents are useful?
Absolutely. In fact, there are many areas of mathematics and science where fractional or decimal exponents are used extensively. For example, in calculus, we often encounter functions that have fractional or irrational exponents. And in physics, we use exponents that are not integers to describe things like decay rates and radioactive half-lives.