Simplify Base-9 Expression: 9^300 × 1/9^-252 × 9^-549

Question

9300192529549=? 9^{300}\cdot\frac{1}{9^{-252}}\cdot9^{-549}=\text{?}

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Solve
00:03 According to laws of exponents, any number (A) to the power of (-N)
00:06 equals 1 divided by the number (A) to the power of (N)
00:09 Let's apply it to the question
00:13 We get the number (9) to the power of -(-252)
00:19 Negative times negative always equals positive
00:23 Let's substitute in the question
00:31 According to laws of exponents, any number (A) to the power of (M)
00:34 multiplied by the same number (A) to the power of (N)
00:37 equals the number (A) to the power of (M+N)
00:41 Let's apply to the question and combine the exponents
00:58 Let's apply the first formula
01:02 We get 1 divided by (9) to the power of (-3)
01:08 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-Step Solution

First we'll use the laws of exponents for negative exponents, but in the opposite direction:

1an=an \frac{1}{a^n} = a^{-n}

and we'll handle using the middle term in the multiplication in the problem:

9300192529549=93009(252)9549=930092529549 9^{300}\cdot\frac{1}{9^{-252}}\cdot9^{-549}=9^{300}\cdot9^{-(-252)}\cdot9^{-549}=9^{300}\cdot9^{252}\cdot9^{-549}

where in the first stage we'll apply the aforementioned law of exponents, and this carefully since the term in the denominator of the fraction has a negative exponent, therefore we used parentheses, then we simplified the expression in the exponent,

Next we'll recall the law of exponents for multiplication between terms with identical bases:

aman=am+n a^m\cdot a^n=a^{m+n}

and we'll apply this law to the last expression we got:

930092529549=9300+252+(549)=9300+252549=93 9^{300}\cdot9^{252}\cdot9^{-549}=9^{300+252+(-549)}=9^{300+252-549}=9^3

Let's summarize the steps so far, we got:

9300192529549=930092529549=9300+252549=93 9^{300}\cdot\frac{1}{9^{-252}}\cdot9^{-549}=9^{300}\cdot9^{252}\cdot9^{-549} =9^{300+252-549}=9^3

Note that there isn't such an answer among the answer choices, however we can always represent the expression we got as a term with a negative exponent by taking the minus sign outside the parentheses in the exponent, meaning we'll do:

93=9(3) 9^3=9^{-(-3)}

and then we'll use again the law of negative exponents:

an=1an a^{-n}=\frac{1}{a^n}

Let's apply it to the last expression we got:

93=9(3)=193 9^3=9^{-(-3)}=\frac{1}{9^{-3}}

Therefore we got that:

9300192529549=93=9(3)=193 9^{300}\cdot\frac{1}{9^{-252}}\cdot9^{-549}=9^3 =9^{-(-3)}=\frac{1}{9^{-3}}

And therefore the correct answer is answer A.

Answer

193 \frac{1}{9^{-3}}