A classmate asks you to check their answer to this problem.

Question

Simplify a^5b^-2a^3b^4
They got a^15b^-8 as their answer. Are they correct?

Answer 1

No, your classmate's answer is incorrect. To simplify the expression, we add the exponents when multiplying like bases. Therefore, the correct answer is a^(5+3)b^(-2+4), which simplifies to a^8b^2.