Method 1: By writing the exponents as repeated multiplications,
breaking 4 into prime factors and cancelling:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Method 2: By adding exponents to multiply and then subtracting
exponents to divide:
Divide the -12 on the top by the 2 on the bottom, getting -6 on the
top.
Subtract the exponents of "a", 7-4 getting exponent 3 and putting
a3 on the bottom because the larger exponent of "a" was
on the bottom.
Subtract the exponents of "b", 3-1 (understood) getting exponent 2
and putting b2 on the top because the larger exponent of
"b" was on the top.
Edwin