You must write 7^(x+2)=343, enclosing the exponent in parentheses.
We must break down the number 343. We try dividing it by 3, but it
gives 114.333... (no good!) We know it cannot be divisible by 5
because it does not end in 0 or 5. So we divide it by 7, and get
343 = 7*49 = 7*7*7 = 73
Then we write 343 as 73
And we use the principle that says if the bases of the exponentials
are the same on both sides, and that base is positive but not
equal to 1, then we may set the exponents equal and drop the base:
Edwin
