## anonymous 3 years ago help!!! simplify do not use negative exponents in the answer 12a 5th power / 2a 8th power

1. anonymous

$12a ^{5}\2a ^{8}$ real problem

2. anonymous

Just to be clear, is this what you mean? $\frac{12a^{5}}{2a^{8}}$

3. anonymous

yes

4. anonymous

Okay, are you able to solve it *with* negative exponents?

5. anonymous

I did not know how to make the line on here

6. anonymous

\frac{top}{bottom} Do that in the Equation editor, or within $and \ ] 7. anonymous nope it said do not use neg exponents and the 5 is -5 and the 8 is -8 8. anonymous I know, but once we get to the final answer *with* negative exponents, we can get rid of them by re-writing the answer. 9. anonymous Wait, are you saying it's to the power of -5 and -8? 10. anonymous Which is correct—top or bottom? \[\frac{12a^{5}}{2a^{8}}$ $\frac{12a^{-5}}{2a^{-8}}$

11. anonymous

bottom

12. anonymous

Okay, great. And there are no brackets, right? It's not $$(12a)^{-5}$$?

13. anonymous

So, to start, are you able to simplify the equation?

14. anonymous

right

15. anonymous

I could not find an exmaple in the book like mines so one of the problems in the exercise is like my real problem i need help to figure it out so i can solve mines

16. anonymous

Do you know how to simplify exponents?

17. anonymous

When dividing like bases (in this case, $$a$$), you subtract the bottom exponent from the top. So, $$a^{(-5)-(-8)}$$.

18. anonymous

As for your numeric constants, you just divide them ($$12 \div 2$$)

19. anonymous

ok so that will be -13

20. anonymous

5-8

21. anonymous

No, it's (-5) - (-8).

22. anonymous

12/2 is 6 -5-(-8)=3

23. anonymous

A double-negative is a positive (in math).

24. anonymous

Good!

25. anonymous

26. anonymous

6a$6a ^3$

27. anonymous

Good!

28. anonymous

do I do the samething if my problem has 12 x top and 8y bottom

29. anonymous

Do you mean like: $$\Large{\frac{12x}{8y}}$$ ? No, those are different variables, so you cannot divide one by the other.

30. anonymous

You can simplify the numbers $$\Large{\frac{12}{8} = \frac{3}{2}}$$, but that's all.

31. anonymous

yes with -6 at the top and -10 at the bottom

32. anonymous

Ahh, so: $\frac{12x^{-6}}{8y^{-10}}$ Nope, all you can simplify in this case is 12/8.

33. anonymous

3x,2y

34. anonymous

Yes, with the same exponents.

35. anonymous

so there isn't any steps to break it down because my teacher keep saying show your work

36. anonymous

If they're different variables, you can't simplify them further.

37. anonymous

The only "work" you could show is dividing both the top and bottom by 4, to simplify your numeric fraction.

38. anonymous

$\Large\frac{12x^{-6}}{8y^{-10}} \small\frac{\div 4}{\div 4}$

39. anonymous

ok