Question

Tom simplified an expression in three steps, as shown:

x to the power of negative 2 multiplied by y to the power of 4, over y multiplied by x to the power of 4 multiplied by x to the power of 4 multiplied by y to the power of negative 2, the whole to the power of 4 equal to x to the power of 2 multiplied by y to the power of 8, over y to the power of 4 multiplied by x to the power of 8 multiplied by x to the power of 8 multiplied by y to the power of 2 equal to x to the power of 2 multiplied by y to the power of 8, over y to the power of 6 multiplied by x to the power of 16.
Which is the first incorrect step and why? (5 points)

Step 1, all the exponents are increased by 4

Step 2, the exponents of the same base are added during multiplication

Step 3, the exponents of the same base are subtracted during division

Step 3, all the exponents are added during division

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

The first incorrect step is Step 3, where it states that the exponents of the same base are subtracted during division. This is incorrect because when dividing expressions with the same base, the exponents are subtracted from each other, not added.