# Thread: Exponents/Quotients : Plz Help!!!!!!!!!!!

1. ## Exponents/Quotients : Plz Help!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone!!! I'm learning about exponents and quotients in Algebra and I've had these before and they were usually pretty basic. Now the problems are starting to get a little more complicated, and I'm having some trouble understanding what I'm supposed to be doing.

One of the homework questions looks like this:
1. Simplify, leaving each answer in positive exponential form.
ax^2 / cx^2
b^2y by^3

(by the way I'm using ^2 = squared)

I really don't know where to start..... I missed a few days of school and a very important lesson. Please help me!!! I have a test in a few days.

Can someone please just maybe tell me what the first few steps would be? Thanks!!

2. Originally Posted by lillybeth
Hello everyone!!! I'm learning about exponents and quotients in Algebra and I've had these before and they were usually pretty basic. Now the problems are starting to get a little more complicated, and I'm having some trouble understanding what I'm supposed to be doing.

One of the homework questions looks like this:
1. Simplify, leaving each answer in positive exponential form.
ax^2 / cx^2
b^2y by^3

(by the way I'm using ^2 = squared)

I really don't know where to start..... I missed a few days of school and a very important lesson. Please help me!!! I have a test in a few days.

Can someone please just maybe tell me what the first few steps would be? Thanks!!
Could you restate the question with some grouping symbols please? For example, I'm not sure whether there is just one expression or two. If two, it might be
a x^2 / (c x^2)
and
b^2 y / (b y^3)
but I'm unsure of that.

3. Originally Posted by Ishuda
Could you restate the question with some grouping symbols please? For example, I'm not sure whether there is just one expression or two. If two, it might be
a x^2 / (c x^2)
and
b^2 y / (b y^3)
but I'm unsure of that.
Yes!

What I was trying to say was ax^2 / b^2y divided by cx^2/by^3.
If that makes it any easier to understand.

4. Originally Posted by lillybeth
Yes!

What I was trying to say was ax^2 / b^2y divided by cx^2/by^3.
If that makes it any easier to understand.
$\dfrac{\dfrac{a x^2}{b^2 y}}{\dfrac{c x^2}{b y^3}}$

O.K.
First Rule: when dividing by a fraction, invert the fraction and multiply. For example
$\dfrac{1}{\dfrac{a}{b}} = {1}\, *\, \dfrac{b}{a} = \dfrac{b}{a}$

Second Rule: You can change the sign of the exponent by moving it from the numerator to the denominator or vice versa. For example
1/25 = 2-5
39 = 1 / 3-9

Third Rule: if the base is the same multiplying by numbers is the same as adding exponents. For example
(22 212 / (214 2-10) = 22 212 2-14 210 by the Second Rule
= 22+12-14+10 = 210

That should be enough for this problem but you should study up on the rules for exponents. For example, see
http://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/exponent-laws.html

5. Originally Posted by Ishuda
$\dfrac{\dfrac{a x^2}{b^2 y}}{\dfrac{c x^2}{b y^3}}$

O.K.
First Rule: when dividing by a fraction, invert the fraction and multiply. For example
$\dfrac{1}{\dfrac{a}{b}} = {1}\, *\, \dfrac{b}{a} = \dfrac{b}{a}$

Second Rule: You can change the sign of the exponent by moving it from the numerator to the denominator or vice versa. For example
1/25 = 2-5
39 = 1 / 3-9

Third Rule: if the base is the same multiplying by numbers is the same as adding exponents. For example
(22 212 / (214 2-10) = 22 212 2-14 210 by the Second Rule
= 22+12-14+10 = 210

That should be enough for this problem but you should study up on the rules for exponents. For example, see
http://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/exponent-laws.html

Thanks!!!!!!!!