## skylar87 Group Title help!!! simplify do not use negative exponents in the answer 12a 5th power / 2a 8th power one year ago one year ago

1. skylar87 Group Title

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

2. geoffb Group Title

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

3. skylar87 Group Title

yes

4. geoffb Group Title

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

5. skylar87 Group Title

I did not know how to make the line on here

6. geoffb Group Title

\frac{top}{bottom} Do that in the Equation editor, or within $and \ ] 7. skylar87 Group Title nope it said do not use neg exponents and the 5 is -5 and the 8 is -8 8. geoffb Group Title 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. geoffb Group Title Wait, are you saying it's to the power of -5 and -8? 10. geoffb Group Title Which is correct—top or bottom? \[\frac{12a^{5}}{2a^{8}}$ $\frac{12a^{-5}}{2a^{-8}}$

11. skylar87 Group Title

bottom

12. geoffb Group Title

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

13. geoffb Group Title

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

14. skylar87 Group Title

right

15. skylar87 Group Title

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. geoffb Group Title

Do you know how to simplify exponents?

17. geoffb Group Title

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

18. geoffb Group Title

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

19. skylar87 Group Title

ok so that will be -13

20. skylar87 Group Title

5-8

21. geoffb Group Title

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

22. skylar87 Group Title

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

23. geoffb Group Title

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

24. geoffb Group Title

Good!

25. geoffb Group Title

26. skylar87 Group Title

6a$6a ^3$

27. geoffb Group Title

Good!

28. skylar87 Group Title

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

29. geoffb Group Title

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

30. geoffb Group Title

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

31. skylar87 Group Title

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

32. geoffb Group Title

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

33. skylar87 Group Title

3x,2y

34. geoffb Group Title

Yes, with the same exponents.

35. skylar87 Group Title

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

36. geoffb Group Title

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

37. geoffb Group Title

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

38. geoffb Group Title

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

39. skylar87 Group Title

ok