Final answer:
An expression with an exponent of 4 indicates that a number or variable is multiplied by itself four times, such as n^4, which is n multiplied by itself four times. The fourth power affects all terms inside parentheses when they are raised to that power.
Step-by-step explanation:
An expression with an exponent of 4 means that a number or variable is raised to the power of four, for instance, n^4 which equals n × n × n × n.
When we raise a number to the fourth power, we are engaging in exponentiation. For example, 5^4 is 5 multiplied by itself four times: 5 × 5 × 5 × 5, which equals 625.
When dealing with expressions inside parentheses raised to a power, everything inside is affected. For instance, (2x)^4 means you have to raise both 2 and x to the fourth power, resulting in 2^4 × x^4, which equals 16x^4.