Evaluate the Expression: Finding Solutions for ((8by)^3)^y + (3^x)^a

Power Rules with Complex Nested Exponents

((8by)3)y+(3x)a= ((8by)^3)^y+(3^x)^a=

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Step-by-step video solution

Watch the teacher solve the problem with clear explanations
00:00 Simplify the following expression
00:03 When there's a power of a power, the combined power is the product of the powers
00:13 We'll use this formula in our exercise
00:28 When there's a power on a product of multiple terms, all terms are raised to that power
00:35 We'll use this formula in our exercise
00:39 We'll raise each factor to the power
00:49 This is the solution

Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution
1

Understand the problem

((8by)3)y+(3x)a= ((8by)^3)^y+(3^x)^a=

2

Step-by-step solution

First, we'll carefully open the parentheses, using two laws of exponents:

The first law is the exponent law that applies to parentheses containing multiplication of terms:

(cz)n=cnzn (c\cdot z)^n=c^n\cdot z^n which essentially states that when there is an exponent acting on parentheses containing multiplication between terms, when opening the parentheses the exponent will apply separately to each of the multiplication terms inside the parentheses.

The second law we'll use is the power of a power law:

(cm)n=cmn (c^m)^n=c^{m\cdot n} which essentially states that when applying an exponent to a term that is already raised to a power (in the above form - inside parentheses for good order, but generally - also without the parentheses), we can interpret this as multiplication between the exponents within the exponent notation.

Let's return to the problem and first deal with the two parenthetical terms in the overall sum separately-

  1. The first from left to right is:

((8by)3)y=(83b3y3)y=(83)y(b3)y(y3)y=83yb3yy3y \big((8by)^3\big)^y=(8^3b^3y^3)^y=(8^3)^y(b^3)^y(y^3)^y=8^{3y}b^{3y}y^{3y} where we used the first law above twice, first for the inner parentheses and then for the remaining parentheses, but we did this carefully because the terms in the multiplication within the parentheses are raised to powers, so we did this using additional parentheses, then we applied the power to the power (effectively opening the parentheses) using the second law above.

  1. The second from left to right is:

(3x)a=3xa (3^x)^a=3^{xa} where we applied the power to the power using the second law above.

Going back to the problem, we got:

((8by)3)y+(3x)a=83yb3yy3y+3xa \big((8by)^3\big)^y+(3^x)^a=8^{3y}b^{3y}y^{3y} +3^{xa} where we used 1 and 2 that we noted above.

We got the most simplified expression, so we're done.

Therefore, the correct answer is A.

Important note:

It's worth understanding the reason for the power of a power law mentioned above (the second law), this law comes directly from the definition of exponents:

(cm)n=cmcmcm=cm+m+m++m=cmn (c^m)^n=c^m\cdot c^m\cdot\ldots\cdot c^m=c^{m+m+m+\cdots+m}=c^{m\cdot n} where in the first stage we applied the definition of exponents to the term in parentheses and multiplied it by itself n times, then we applied the law of exponents for multiplication between terms with identical bases mentioned above and interpreted the multiplication between the terms as a sum in the exponent notation,

Then we used the simple multiplication definition that states that if we connect a number to itself n times we can simply write it as multiplication, meaning:

m+m++m=mn m+m+\cdots+m=m\cdot n and therefore we get that:

(cm)n=cmn (c^m)^n=c^{m\cdot n}

3

Final Answer

83y×b3y×y3y+3ax 8^{3y}\times b^{3y}\times y^{3y}+3^{ax}

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic
  • Power of Product: When raising products to powers, each factor gets the exponent
  • Power of Power: Multiply exponents: (3x)a=3xa (3^x)^a = 3^{xa}
  • Check: Verify each term follows rules: 83yb3yy3y+3ax 8^{3y} \cdot b^{3y} \cdot y^{3y} + 3^{ax}

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors
  • Distributing exponents incorrectly to products
    Don't write (8by)³ as 8³by or 8by³! This ignores the power of product rule and creates wrong terms. Always apply the outer exponent to each factor separately: (8by)³ = 8³b³y³.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

Insert the corresponding expression:

\( \)\( \left(6^2\right)^7= \)

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why does (8by)³ become 8³b³y³ and not just 8by³?

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The power of product rule states that when you raise a product to a power, each factor gets raised to that power. So (8by)³ means 8³ × b³ × y³, not just the last term!

How do I handle nested exponents like ((8by)³)ʸ?

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Work from inside out! First apply the power of product rule: (8by)³ = 8³b³y³. Then apply the power of power rule: (8³b³y³)ʸ = 8³ʸb³ʸy³ʸ.

What's the difference between (3ˣ)ᵃ and 3ˣᵃ?

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They're the same! Power of power rule says (3ˣ)ᵃ = 3ˣᵃ because you multiply the exponents. The parentheses just show the order of operations clearly.

Can I simplify 8³ʸb³ʸy³ʸ further?

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Not really! Each variable has different exponents (3y), so you can't combine them. The expression 83yb3yy3y 8^{3y} \cdot b^{3y} \cdot y^{3y} is already in simplest form.

Why can't I just add the exponents in ((8by)³)ʸ?

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Adding exponents only works for multiplication of same bases, like x² × x³ = x⁵. Here you have nested exponents, so you multiply them: ((8by)³)ʸ uses the power of power rule.

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