- Use the exponent rules: product (\(x^a \cdot x^b = x^{a+b}\)), quotient (\(\frac{x^a}{x^b} = x^{a-b}\)), and zero (\(x^0 = 1\)) to simplify each term.
- Perform calculations systematically to arrive at the base power for each expression.
- Results: 14. \(\boxed{-7}\), 15. \(\boxed{\frac{1}{64}}\), 19. \(\boxed{\frac{1}{16}}\), 20. \(\boxed{1}\), 24. \(\boxed{\frac{1}{3}}\), 25. \(\boxed{\frac{1}{c^3}}\), 29. \(\boxed{(-8)^{12}}\), 30. \(\boxed{25^{14}}\).
Explanation
- Problem Analysis and Exponent Rules
To simplify expressions with exponents, we rely on fundamental exponent laws:
- Product rule: \(x^a \cdot x^b = x^{a+b}\)
- Quotient rule: \(\frac{x^a}{x^b} = x^{a-b}\)
- Power of a power rule: \((x^a)^b = x^{a \cdot b}\)
- Zero exponent rule: \(x^0 = 1\) (for \(x
eq 0\))
- Negative exponent rule: \(x^{-a} = \frac{1}{x^a}\)
We will apply these systematically to each expression.
- Step-by-Step Simplification
- \(\frac{(-7)^{5-7}}{(-7) \div (-7)^4} = \frac{(-7)^{-2}}{(-7)^{1-4}} = \frac{(-7)^{-2}}{(-7)^{-3}} = (-7)^{-2 - (-3)} = (-7)^1 = -7\).
- \(\frac{8^2}{8^4} = 8^{2-4} = 8^{-2} = \frac{1}{8^2} = \frac{1}{64}\).
- \(\frac{4^3 \cdot 4^0}{4^2 \cdot 4^3} = \frac{4^{3+0}}{4^{2+3}} = \frac{4^3}{4^5} = 4^{3-5} = 4^{-2} = \frac{1}{4^2} = \frac{1}{16}\).
- \(\frac{9^{12} \cdot 9^3}{9^7 \cdot 9^8} = \frac{9^{12+3}}{9^{7+8}} = \frac{9^{15}}{9^{15}} = 9^{15-15} = 9^0 = 1\).
- \(\frac{3^3}{3^4} = 3^{3-4} = 3^{-1} = \frac{1}{3}\).
- \(\frac{c^{12}}{c^{15}} = c^{12-15} = c^{-3} = \frac{1}{c^3}\) (for \(c
eq 0\)).
- \((-8)^0(-8)^9(-8)^3 = 1 \cdot (-8)^{9+3} = (-8)^{12}\).
- \((-25)^{11}(-25)^3 = (-25)^{11+3} = (-25)^{14} = 25^{14}\).
- Final Summary of Results
The simplified expressions are:
- \(-7\)
- \(\frac{1}{64}\)
- \(\frac{1}{16}\)
- \(1\)
- \(\frac{1}{3}\)
- \(\frac{1}{c^3}\)
- \((-8)^{12}\)
- \((-25)^{14} = 25^{14}\)
Examples
Exponent rules are fundamental in scientific computing and engineering. For example, when measuring data storage, you often multiply or divide by factors of \(10^3\) (kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes). Understanding that \(\frac{10^9}{10^6} = 10^3\) allows you to quickly convert between units, ensuring that calculations involving large digital files are handled accurately and efficiently in software development.