# Math Help - Help Simplifying with a polynomial exponent

1. ## Help Simplifying with a polynomial exponent

Hoping someone can help me here. I'm taking an online high school math course, and I'm unsure I'm doing one of the questions right, and can't find a similar problem anywhere. Simplify this equation:

After going through a bunch of steps including expanding, simplifying, laws of exponents, etc, I've come up with a final answer of x^(3b^2). I'd show my work except I stink at formatting, but I'll try if anyone thinks it would be helpful!

2. ## Re: Help Simplifying with a polynomial exponent

Hoping someone can help me here. I'm taking an online high school math course, and I'm unsure I'm doing one of the questions right, and can't find a similar problem anywhere. Simplify this equation:

After going through a bunch of steps including expanding, simplifying, laws of exponents, etc, I've come up with a final answer of x^(3b^2). I'd show my work except I stink at formatting, but I'll try if anyone thinks it would be helpful!

that would be correct ...

$\frac{(x^{a+b})^{a-b}}{(x^{a-2b})^{a+2b}} = \frac{x^{a^2-b^2}}{x^{a^2-4b^2}} = x^{3b^2}$

3. ## Re: Help Simplifying with a polynomial exponent

Thanks Skeeter! Those were my steps too, with lots more in between. Every online solver I tried would tell me it couldn't be simplified, but I *knew* I was onto something!