Final answer:
The result of their product is 0.004.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked to find the value of 5^-3 x 2^-1. This question involves understanding the properties of exponents and how to compute operations involving negative exponents.
To calculate 5^-3, we need to understand that a negative exponent indicates the reciprocal of the base raised to the absolute value of the exponent. Therefore, 5^-3 equals 1 divided by 5^3, which is 1 divided by 125 or 0.008.
Similarly, 2^-1 is the reciprocal of 2, which is 0.5. To find the product of these two values, we multiply them together. So, 5^-3 x 2^-1 equals 0.008 x 0.5, which results in 0.004.