Simplifying Expressions with Exponents
In mathematics, simplifying expressions with exponents involves applying various rules to make the expression easier to understand and work with. Let's analyze the expression:
(2^(2)y^(-6))/(8^(-1)z^(0)x^(-7))
Understanding the Rules
Before diving into the simplification, let's review some crucial exponent rules:
- Product of powers: x^m * x^n = x^(m+n)
- Quotient of powers: x^m / x^n = x^(m-n)
- Power of a power: (x^m)^n = x^(m*n)
- Negative exponent: x^(-n) = 1/x^n
- Zero exponent: x^0 = 1
Simplifying the Expression
- Rewrite 8 as 2^3: This helps us work with the same base. Our expression becomes: (2^(2)y^(-6))/((2^3)^(-1)z^(0)x^(-7))
- Apply power of a power rule: (2^3)^(-1) = 2^(-3). The expression is now: (2^(2)y^(-6))/(2^(-3)z^(0)x^(-7))
- Apply quotient of powers rule: This involves subtracting the exponents of the same base. The expression simplifies to: 2^(2-(-3))y^(-6)z^(0)x^(7)
- Simplify the exponents: 2^(2-(-3)) = 2^(5). The expression now is: 2^(5)y^(-6)z^(0)x^(7)
- Apply negative exponent and zero exponent rule: y^(-6) = 1/y^6 and z^0 = 1. The final simplified expression is: (32x^(7))/(y^(6))
Conclusion
By applying the rules of exponents systematically, we simplified the complex expression into a much more understandable form. This process demonstrates the power of these rules in simplifying mathematical expressions and making them easier to manipulate.