matlab giving complex number when the expected answer is a real number?

matlab is giving me complex number when the expected answer is a real number? The code is the following:

A1 = -1;
A = A1^1.5
A = 0.0000 - 1.0000i

The answer should have been -1

A = -1^1.5
A = -1

Can anyone tell me why this is the case? It is giving a complex number when a variable is used.

Many thanks

[Stephen23]

"Can anyone tell me why this is the case?"

Because unary negation has a lower priority than the power operation. You can check this yourself:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_prog/operator-precedence.html

Answer 1

[Mischa Kim]

Note:

>> (-1)^1.5
ans =
 0.0000 - 1.0000i

which is not the same as

>> -1^1.5   % = -(1^1.5)
ans =
  -1