Question

Which values of a and b make the following equation true? a = 11, b = 7 a = 11, b = 10 a = 28, b = 7 a = 28, b = 10

Answer 1

The answer is

a = 11, b = 7

Explanation:

`( {5x}^(7) {y}^(2) )( { - 4x}^(4) {y}^(5) ) = - 20 {x}^(a) {y}^(b)`

Multiply the terms on the left side of the equation

That's

`- 20 {x}^(11) {y}^(7) = - 20 {x}^(a) {y}^(b)`

Since the bases are the same we can equate the exponents

That's

`{x}^(11) = {x}^(a)`

a = 11

And

`{y}^(7) = {y}^(b)`

b = 11

Therefore

a = 11 and b = 7

Hope this helps you