Question

How do you simplify `(-18x^-2y^2x^4y^3) /(6x^5y^6)`?

Answer 1

You can simplify numbers with numbers and similar letters in accordance to their exponents;

Remember few rules of exponents:
1) `x^a/x^b=x^(a-b)`
2) `x^-a=1/x^a`
3)`x^a*x^b=x^(a+b)`

In your case:

`(-18/6)((x^-2*x^4)/x^5)((y^2*y^3)/y^6)=`
`=-3(x^(-2+4-5))(y^(2+3-6))`
`=-3x^-3y^-1=-3/(x^3y)`