Simplify: 4 * (xy) ^ 4

A 16x * y ^ 4
B 4x * y ^ 4
C 4x ^ 4 * y ^ 4
D 256x ^ 4 * y ^ 4

To simplify the expression 4 * (xy)^4, we need to apply the exponent to both the variables inside the parentheses.

(xy)^4 can be expanded as x^4 * y^4 since the exponent distributes to both x and y.

So, the simplified expression becomes 4 * (x^4 * y^4). To simplify further, we can multiply 4 with each term inside the parentheses.

4 * x^4 * y^4 = 4x^4 * y^4

Therefore, the simplified expression is 4x^4 * y^4.

The correct answer is B) 4x * y^4