document.write( "Question 631007: Hi can you explain to me how to simplify the expression
\n" ); document.write( "l^2m(2-m)/l^3(m-2) . I have the answer in my text book but not sure of the steps required to get there , thanks
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Algebra.Com's Answer #397291 by jsmallt9(3758)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
\"%28l%5E%282m%29%282-m%29%29%2F%28l%5E3%28m-2%29%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "Since one to any power is 1, this simplifies to:
\n" ); document.write( "\"%282-m%29%2F%28m-2%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "The next step is quick if you notice that 2-m and m-2 are negatives of each other. In one the 2 is positive and in the other the 2 is negative. In one the m is negative and in the other the m is positive. So 2-m and m-2 are negatives of each other. (Let that sink in for a while. It can be helpful in other situations, too, to realize that a-b and b-a are negatives of each other.)

\n" ); document.write( "And what do you get when you divide negatives? What is -1/1, 20.3/(-20.3), x/(-x), etc.? Answer for all: -1. So (2-m)/(m-2) is:
\n" ); document.write( "-1

\n" ); document.write( "P.S. In the future, please explain the expression has an \"el\" in it to avoid confusion. Here's a solution using el's:
\n" ); document.write( "\"%28l%5E%282m%29%282-m%29%29%2F%28l%5E3%28m-2%29%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "We can \"un-multiply\" the fractions so that you can see better how this works out:
\n" ); document.write( "\"%28l%5E%282m%29%2Fl%5E3%29%2A%28%282-m%29%2F%28m-2%29%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "The (2-m)/(m-2) still works out to be -1. To divide the el's, we use the rule for exponents when dividing expressions with the same base: Subtract the exponents:
\n" ); document.write( "\"l%5E%282m-3%29%2A%28-1%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "or just
\n" ); document.write( "\"-l%5E%282m-3%29\" \n" ); document.write( "
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