Evaluate the left hand side to find the value of aa in the equation in simplest form.

Question

left bracket, x, to the power 5 , right bracket, start superscript, one half, end superscript, equals, x, to the power a
(x
5
)
2
1
​

=
x
a

Answer 1

We can evaluate the left hand side by taking the square root of the value inside the brackets first, then raising that result to the power of 5.

(x^5)^(1/2) = x^(5 * 1/2)
(x^5)^(1/2) = x^(5/2)

So, the left hand side simplifies to x^(5/2) = x^a

This means that a = 5/2 or a = 2.5.