Final answer:
To multiply powers with different bases, simply multiply the terms as they are. In this case, 8 to the power of 5 multiplied by a to the power of 5 results in 8^5 × a^5, which cannot be simplified further as the bases are different.
Step-by-step explanation:
Multiplication of Powers
When multiplying powers with the same base, we use the rule of adding exponents. The question asks to multiply 8 to the power of 5 by a to the power of 5. Since the bases are different (8 and a), we cannot add the exponents. Instead, we multiply the terms as they are to get 85 × a5. This cannot be simplified further because the bases are not the same. If the bases were the same, we would add the exponents.
Here's a quick example with the same base: If you have 23 × 24, since the base '2' is the same, you would add the exponents to get 23+4 which is 27. This demonstrates how the rule works when the bases are the same.