Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Surds and indices HELP!

I've been stuck on this question for ages and have tried loads of different methods but I just can't figure it out.

Simplify this expression:

(4a^2 b^1/6)^3 * (3b)^2 all divided by 8a^4*b^3

please could someone talk me through the steps?

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 1

Dysf(x)al

Original post by eatingkiwi

I've been stuck on this question for ages and have tried loads of different methods but I just can't figure it out.

Simplify this expression:

(4a^2 b^1/6)^3 * (3b)^2 all divided by 8a^4b^3

please could someone talk me through the steps?

Expand out all the brackets. For example, (3b)^2 = 9b^2. Do the same for the other set of brackets.

Now just cancel out common factors of a, b and numbers. For example, if you had 6ab^2 / 4ab (not the actual expression), you could cancel out 2ab from both top and bottom to get 3b/2.