Final answer:
The statement is false. An exponent outside of parentheses applies to everything inside the parentheses, not just the base closest to the parenthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the exponent on the outside of a parenthesis only matters to the base closest to it is false. When you have an expression inside parentheses raised to an exponent, this exponent applies to everything within the parentheses. For example, if you have the expression (2x)^3, both the 2 and the x are raised to the third power, resulting in 2^3 * x^3, which equals 8x^3 after calculating the exponent of 2.
The exponent is applied to each term separately, not just the base. For example, if we have (2x)^3, the exponent 3 is applied to both 2 and x, resulting in 2^3 * x^3 = 8x^3. Therefore, the statement is False because the exponent affects all terms inside the parenthesis, not just the base closest to it.