Which power does this expression simplify to?

Left-brace (7 Superscript 5 Baseline) (7 cubed) right-brace Superscript negative 4
StartFraction 1 Over 7 Superscript 32 Baseline EndFraction
StartFraction 1 Over 7 Superscript 8 Baseline EndFraction
7 Superscript 4
7 Superscript 11

1 answer

To simplify the expression \({ (7^5)(7^3) }^{-4}\), we can follow these steps:

  1. Simplify inside the braces using the property of exponents that states \(a^m \cdot a^n = a^{m+n}\): \[ 7^5 \cdot 7^3 = 7^{5+3} = 7^8 \]

  2. Now the expression becomes: \[ (7^8)^{-4} \]

  3. Next, we apply the power of a power property, which states \((a^m)^n = a^{m \cdot n}\): \[ (7^8)^{-4} = 7^{8 \cdot (-4)} = 7^{-32} \]

  4. Finally, since \(7^{-32} = \frac{1}{7^{32}}\), we can identify the simplified expression among the provided options: \[ \frac{1}{7^{32}} \]

Thus, the expression simplifies to \( \frac{1}{7^{32}} \).