Question

simplify this expression!! 8x^4/x^3

Answer 1

OK. So you have a fraction with an x that has an exponent on both sides. What does that mean about the exponent on the bottom?

Answer 2

can you divide it into it?

Answer 3

\[\frac{ a^n }{ a^m }= a^{n-m}\]

Answer 4

Sort of, what aab0t shoed is a great example of what needs to happen here.

Answer 5

showed... whee. I need coffee still. LOL

Answer 6

the exponents are not showing on what he posted.

Answer 7

\[\large \frac{ a^x }{ a^y } = a^{x-y}\]

Answer 8

so it would be 8x?

Answer 9

Yes!

Answer 10

because you keep the 8.. and 4-3 is one/

Answer 11

Exactly.

What you are working on is rules of exponents. There are just a few of them and you used two at the same time. One was that an exponent on the bottom of a fraction becomes negative on the top. The other is that like bases can have exponents added. Well, if you add a negative number, it means subtraction.

Answer 12

can you help me with another one with exponents? if i can figure this out im pretty sure i can handle the rest of my assignments lol.

Answer 13

Sure.

Answer 14

Yes.

Answer 15

(4y-3)^3 .


My textbook is telling me to multiply the first two sets of the numbers, but is not really clear on what to do with the third set of the 4y-3.

Answer 16

OK. You end up foiling like a square for the first two, then you multiply every term again. So it is just doing it again, but with three terms rather than two.

Answer 17

Basically uou have:
(4y-3)(4y-3)(4y-3)

So do the first multiplication and what do you get?

Answer 18

AKA:
\[\large (16y^2-24y+9)(4y-3)\]

Answer 19

All I did that was put together the two -12y terms. Now, because of the power multiplication, I also have to keep things in ( ).

Answer 20

so now do i have to FOIL those numbers now

Answer 21

Basically. I made a refeence for you.

Answer 22

After you multiply every term like that, you combined like terms. So any x with a power gets put together with other xes of the same power.

Answer 23

and you add the exponents together?

Answer 24

No, they keep the same exponents because it is additoon, not multiplication. What you change is the coefficents. Like when I did -12y-12y=-24y

Answer 25

64y^3 -144y^2+108y-27 ?

Answer 26

Yep! That is it!

Answer 27

yay thank you! i appreciate your help. i am new to this site and usually don't come to the internet to seek answers, but my math is terrible and i'm in online courses so there really isn't help available other than the textbook!

Answer 28

Adding variables with exponents:
\(\large a^n+a^m=a^n+a^m\) because the exponents are different.
\(\large a^n+a^n=2a^n\) because the exponents are the same

Multiplying variables with exponents:
\(\large a^n\cdot a^m=a^{n+m}\)
\(\large a^n\cdot a^n=a^{2n}\)

Answer 29

Yah, having someone explain the points you do not get is always worth it!

Answer 30

have you been on this site for a long time? is this all there is to do, just type your questions in?

Answer 31

I have only been here a short while, but that seems to be the makjority of it. Learn and help other learn. However, tutoring another person is one of the best ways to force yourself to remember things. So if you help the people you can help, it makes you stronger at math.
Other sites are better for lectures, like Khan Academy for individual topics. And on the Youtube Education section there are entire classes you can watch. Great to be able to pause and rewind a lecture so you do not miss anything!