Exponents: Simplify the expression
7ab^-2 / 3w
I got 7a3w / b^2
Is this correct?
Nope. How did the 3w get up on top?
Only the b^-2 goes to the bottom as b^2
7a/(3b^2 w)
thank you
To simplify the expression 7ab^-2 / 3w, we can follow these steps:
Step 1: Simplify the numerator.
The numerator is 7ab^-2. To simplify this expression, we need to consider the exponent -2. When we have a negative exponent, we can move the base to the denominator and change the sign of the exponent. Therefore, b^-2 becomes 1/b^2. So, 7ab^-2 simplifies to 7a/b^2.
Step 2: Simplify the expression.
Now that we have the numerator simplified, we can write the expression as:
(7a/b^2) / 3w
To divide fractions, we multiply the first fraction by the reciprocal of the second fraction. Therefore, we can rewrite the expression as:
(7a/b^2) * (1/3w)
Next, we can simplify further by multiplying the numerators and multiplying the denominators:
(7a * 1) / (b^2 * 3w)
This simplifies to:
7a / (3b^2w)
So, the simplified expression is 7a / (3b^2w).
Based on your answer, you have correctly simplified the expression. Well done!