Identify and Apply Rule: Identify the given expression and apply the power of a quotient rule.The power of a quotient rule states that (ba)n=bnan.So, (2−28−5)−4 becomes (8−5)−4/(2−2)−4.
Simplify Exponents: Simplify the exponents by multiplying them, since (am)n=am∗n.For the numerator, (8−5)−4 becomes 8(−5)∗(−4)=820.For the denominator, (2−2)−4 becomes 2(−2)∗(−4)=28.
Rewrite Simplified Expression: Rewrite the simplified expression.The expression is now 820/28.
Recognize Power of 2: Recognize that 8 is a power of 2, specifically 8=23. This allows us to express 820 as (23)20.
Apply Power of Power Rule: Apply the power of a power rule to simplify (23)20. The rule states that (am)n=am∗n, so (23)20 becomes 23∗20=260.
Rewrite with Simplified Numerator: Rewrite the expression with the simplified numerator.The expression is now 260/28.
Apply Quotient of Powers Rule: Apply the quotient of powers rule to simplify 260/28. The rule states that am/an=am−n, so 260/28 becomes 260−8=252.
Recognize Simplified Form: Recognize that 252 is the simplified form of the original expression.Therefore, the equivalent expression is 252.
Match to Answer Choices: Match the simplified expression to the given answer choices.The expression 252 is not directly listed in the answer choices, so we need to check if any of the choices are equivalent to 252.
Check for Equivalence: Check each answer choice for equivalence to 252. (A) (820)/(28) is equivalent to 260/28=252, which matches our simplified expression. (B) (26)/(89) is not equivalent to 252. (C) (1)/(8∗22) is not equivalent to 252.
Select Correct Answer: Select the correct answer choice based on the previous step.The correct answer is (A) (820)/(28), which is equivalent to 252.
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