SOLUTION: (5^3)^-8 They want the exponential notation to be positive and I have no clue how to do that.

(53)-8

First use the rule for an exponential raised to a power:

When an exponential is raised to a power itself, the expression is simplified
by writing the base of the exponential inside the parentheses with an exponent
equal to the product of the two exponents, and removing the parentheses.

So we multiply the 3 by the -8 and have this

5-24

Now use these rules:

To make a negative exponent positive, 

1.  Give it a 1 multiplier and a 1 denominator:

     


2. (a) If the negative exponent is in the NUMERATOR,
   move it to the DENOMINATOR and change the sign of the
   exponent to positive.
     
   (b) If the negative exponent is in the DENOMINATOR,
   move it to the NUMERATOR and change the sign of the
   exponent to positive.

   This

       

   is the case 2(a), so we move the  from the
   numerator to the deminator and change the exponent from
   -24 to +24:

    

    Now we can erase the 1 in the denominator but not in the
    numerator:

   


Edwin