Question

what is the simplified form of
15x^8 4x^4
------ divided by ------ ?
24y^5 8y^2

Answer 1

\[\frac{15x^8}{24y^5}\div\frac{4x^4}{8y^2}\]

Answer 2

this?

Answer 3

yes

Answer 4

use\[\frac ab\div\frac cd=\frac ab\times\frac dc=\frac{ad}{bc}\]

Answer 5

(i.e. division is the same as multiplication by it's reciprocal)

Answer 6

caveat: not true for \(b,d,c=0\)

Answer 7

How would you simplify this, I'm stuck

Answer 8

try doing what I wrote:
flip the second fraction and make the "divided by" into "times"

Answer 9

I'm ok with that I'm stuck on the part where you factor

Answer 10

write what you have so far so I know what you mean
use parentheses like
(15x^2/24y^5)/(4x^4/8y^2)=...

Answer 11

(15x^8/24y^5)(4x^4/8y^2), then
keep-change-flip:
(15x^8/24y^5)(8y^2/4x^4), then factor

Answer 12

since you are multiplying the numerators and denominators are laterally interchangeable\[\frac{ab}{cd}=\frac{ba}{cd}\]so you can write
(15x^8/24y^5)(8y^2/4x^4)
=(15x^8/4x^4)(8y^2/24y^5)

now you can use the rule\[\large\frac{x^a}{x^b}=x^{a-b}\]