(1/8)17n x 8

I got:

17n/8 x 8= 17n

not sure about this??

I am not sure about it either, since you didn't say what has to be done with it.

How did an expression suddenly turn into an equation?

(1/8)17n x 8 , I assume that x means multiply
= (1/8)(17n)(8)
= 17n