Rewrite this without the coefficient.

Example: 3m = m+m+m

However, I cannot seem to figure out what to do with this problem:

-5m^3n^2

I can't figure out how to rewrite so the -5 is gone and without changing the exponents!

One possiblity would be

-[m^3n^2 + m^3n^2 + m^3n^2 + m^3n^2 + m^3n^2]

The - in front is like a -1 so that would still leave a coefficient...

Unless it was (-m^3n^2 + -m^3n^2 + -m^3n^2 + -m^3n^2 + -m^3n^2) then that would have eliminated the -1 in front! I knew it was easy I just couldn't get my brain to wrap around it!

To rewrite the expression -5m^3n^2 without the coefficient (-5), while keeping the exponents unchanged, you can employ the concept of negative exponents. Here's the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Start with the given expression -5m^3n^2.

Step 2: Identify the variables with exponents, which in this case are m^3 and n^2.

Step 3: Rewrite each variable with a negative exponent. To do this, place the variable with its original exponent in the denominator (bottom) of a fraction and give it a positive exponent equal to the absolute value of the original exponent. Since the exponents are already positive, you will use the absolute value of 3 and 2.

Rewritten expression: -(1/m^-3)(1/n^-2)

Step 4: Simplify the expression by invoking the rule of negative exponents. For any variable raised to a negative exponent, move it to the opposite side of the fraction by changing the sign of the exponent.

Simplified expression: -(1/m^3)(n^2)

Therefore, rewriting -5m^3n^2 without the coefficient results in -(1/m^3)(n^2).