I can't understand this.
Simplify using only positive exponents:
(a2b[]7c4)/(a5b3c[]2)
Please help ;_;
what is with the [] characters?
In general, a^m / a^n
= a^(m-n) if m > n
= 1/a^(n-m) is n > m
So, if you had
(a^2 b^7 c^4)/(a^5 b^3 c^2) = (b^4 c^2)/a^3
The [] is to represent an empty or blank box in the problem. I'm guessing it's making me fill in the blank but there are no choices so I'm not sure.
I don't understand the symbols. For example, what does c4 mean?
I'm not sure, that's precisely how the question is laid out on my worksheet. It's not an exponent or anything.
a2b7c4
a5b3c2
To simplify the given expression using only positive exponents, we can follow these steps:
Step 1: Divide the variables between the numerator and denominator.
(a^2b^7c^4) / (a^5b^3c^2)
Step 2: Apply the division rule for exponents.
For each variable, subtract the exponent in the denominator from the exponent in the numerator.
(a^(2-5) * b^(7-3) * c^(4-2))
Simplifying further, we have:
(a^(-3) * b^4 * c^2)
Step 3: Simplify any negative exponents.
To get rid of the negative exponents, we can move the variables to the opposite side of the fraction and change the sign of the exponent.
(1/a^3 * b^4 * c^2)
Therefore, the simplified expression with only positive exponents is:
b^4 * c^2 / a^3