Question

Write 5^2 • 5^-1 • 5^3 as a single exponent,

Answer 1

Note that if the base of an exponent is constant (such as 5 in this case) and we're multiplying exponents, we add the exponents up. In this case, we get 2+(-1)+3=4, making our exponent 5^4. For division of exponents with the same base, we can subtract the denominator from the numerator.