Question

How do you solve for a and b showing your work

Answer 1

a) 4

b)
`(1)/(2) √(y^5)`

Explanation:

PART A

Simplify the expression by solving out the square roots.

`(√(16) √(p) )/(√(p))` =
`(4 √(p) )/(√(p))`

You can cancel out the
`√(p)` on the top and bottom.

So, a should be 4.

PART B

Solve out the square root. The square root is pretty much the 1/2 power, so you can divide the exponents by half.

`\frac{\sqrt{y^(10)} }{\sqrt{4y^(5)} }` =
`\frac{y^(5)}{2y^{(5)/(2)} }`

You can subtract exponents to divide them. So the y variable becomes
`y^(5 - 5/2)`, or
`y^(5/2)`.

Then, the overall expression is
`(1)/(2) y^{(5)/(2) }`, or you can turn that into
`(1)/(2) √(y^5)`.