Question
A classmate asks you to check their answer to this problem.
Simplify a^5b^-2a^3b^4
They got a^15b^-8 as their answer. Are they correct?
Simplify a^5b^-2a^3b^4
They got a^15b^-8 as their answer. Are they correct?
Answers
GPT 3.5
No, your classmate's answer is incorrect. To simplify the expression, we add the exponents when multiplying like bases. Therefore, the correct answer is a^(5+3)b^(-2+4), which simplifies to a^8b^2.