Problem

Simplify (4^(2+n)*2^(4n+1)*8^(2-n))/(2^(3n+1))

The given problem is an algebraic expression that involves simplifying a complex fraction composed of exponential terms. The numerator of the fraction contains three exponential expressions with bases of 4, 2, and 8 raised to various powers involving 'n', which is a variable. These terms are multiplied together. The denominator contains a single exponential expression with a base of 2, raised to a power that also involves the variable 'n'. The task is to apply the rules of exponents to simplify the entire expression, which would involve combining like terms, using exponent addition, subtraction, and perhaps division rules to simplify the exponentials to the simplest form possible.

42+n24n+182n23n+1

Answer

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Solution:

Step:1

Eliminate the common base of 24n+1 and 23n+1.

Step:1.1

Extract 23n+1 from 42+n24n+182n.

23n+1(42+n24n+1(3n+1)82n)23n+1

Step:1.2

Remove the common bases.

Step:1.2.1

Introduce a multiplicative identity of 1.

23n+1(42+n24n+1(3n+1)82n)23n+11

Step:1.2.2

Eliminate the shared base.

23n+1(42+n24n+1(3n+1)82n)23n+11

Step:1.2.3

Reformulate the expression.

42+n24n+1(3n+1)82n1

Step:1.2.4

Divide the expression by 1.

42+n24n+1(3n+1)82n

Step:2

Break down each term.

Step:2.1

Apply the distributive property.

42+n2(4n+1)(3n+1)82n

Step:2.2

Simplify the exponent by subtraction.

42+n2n82n

Step:3

Combine like terms.

Step:3.1

Add the exponents of the powers of 2.

24(2+n)2n23(2n)

Step:3.2

Use the exponent addition rule.

28+4n+n+63n

Step:3.3

Combine the terms.

214+n

Step:4

Evaluate the power of 2.

Step:4.1

Recognize that 214 is a constant.

2142n

Step:4.2

Calculate 214.

163842n

Step:5

Final simplification.

Step:5.1

The expression simplifies to:

163842n

Knowledge Notes:

  1. Common Bases: When simplifying expressions with exponents, if the bases are the same, you can add or subtract the exponents depending on the operation (multiplication or division).

  2. Exponent Rules: The power rule (am)n=amn allows you to multiply exponents when a base is raised to a power, and then that result is raised to another power. The product rule aman=am+n allows you to add exponents when multiplying like bases.

  3. Distributive Property: This property allows you to multiply a sum by a factor by multiplying each addend separately and then sum the products.

  4. Simplifying Exponents: When you have an expression with exponents, you can often simplify it by combining like terms or applying exponent rules.

  5. Powers of Two: Knowing the powers of two (e.g., 21=2, 22=4, 23=8, etc.) can be very helpful in simplifying expressions quickly without a calculator.

  6. Multiplicative Identity: The number 1 is the multiplicative identity because any number multiplied by 1 remains unchanged. This is often used to simplify expressions where a term is divided by itself.

  7. Cancellation: When the same term appears in both the numerator and the denominator, it can be canceled out, which is essentially dividing the term by itself to get 1.

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