Rule:

For all numbers  x  and  y , and integers n,

"Notice:  each factor of the product gets raised to the new power."

"Be sure to notice that this rule ONLY works when the inside of the parentheses is a single term (a product). "
"(no + signs or - signs separating the items)."
Consider:
 
 
 

...when in doubt, expand terms to see what is happening.


Check out these examples of this rule at work:

 


... notice how the 2 was also affected by the power of 3 since it was inside the parentheses.

Notice that the 2 is not affected by the power of 3 since it is not within the parentheses.

Remember that -1 to a power of 3 is -1.


Be careful when working with negative exponents.

Be sure to cube the -2 value.

 

Did you notice the subtraction in this problem?

Formulas often involve working with powers.