document.write( "Question 504861: How do you simplify this question??\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Use the properties of exponents to simplify the seemingly unsimplifiable:
\n" ); document.write( "486(power 38)
\n" ); document.write( "Over
\n" ); document.write( "3(power 187) \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Your final answer should be in scientific notation \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #339739 by Theo(13342)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
486 = 3^5 * 2
\n" ); document.write( "your equation of:
\n" ); document.write( "486^(38) / 3^187 becomes:
\n" ); document.write( "(3^5*2)^38 / 3^187 which becomes:
\n" ); document.write( "(3^(5*38)*2^38) / 3^187 which becomes:
\n" ); document.write( "3^190*2^38 / 3^187 which becomes:
\n" ); document.write( "3^(190-187)*2^38 which becomes:
\n" ); document.write( "3^3 * 2^38 which becomes:
\n" ); document.write( "7.42170349 * 10^12
\n" ); document.write( "here's a picture of how it would look if done by hand.
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\n" ); document.write( "the key was in getting the numerator to have a base of 3.
\n" ); document.write( "successive divisions of 486 by 3 yielded 5 divisions yielding a last factor of 2.
\n" ); document.write( "that led to 486 = 3^5*2
\n" ); document.write( "from there on it was laws of exponents all the way.
\n" ); document.write( "x^a * x^b = x^(a+b)
\n" ); document.write( "(x^a)^b = x^(a*b)
\n" ); document.write( "x^a/x^b = x^(a-b)
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