Question

5
When x = 0 and y = 0, which of the following is equivalent to
(5)?

Answer 1

(b) x^15/y^5

Explanation:

The exponent outside parentheses multiplies all of the exponents inside parentheses.

(x^3/y)^5 = x^(3·5)/y^(1·5) = x^15/y^5

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Additional comment

When it comes to exponents, I find it useful to remember that an exponent signifies repeated multiplication: x·x·x = x³. The exponent outside parentheses has the same meaning:

(x³)² = (x·x·x)·(x·x·x) = x⁶

The rule is summarized by ...

(a^b)^c = a^(bc)