Which of the following is equal to 2^x * 2^x * 2^x?
One of the answer choices was (2^x)^3, but the key marked it as incorrect — even though it’s mathematically equal to 2^(3x).
Can someone explain why (2^x)^3 would be considered wrong here? Is it just a formatting issue or something else?
I don’t see (2^x)^3 in the answer choices. Do you mean the third option which is 2^x^3?
If you have 2^x multiplied by itself 3 times, this is the same as 2^x cubed.
So this is (2^x)^3, I think that’s what you’re saying.
However this is not the same as 2^{x^3} which is what’s in the answer choice. Remember, with stacked powers, you work from the top right to the bottom left.
So, (2^x)^3 is actually 2^{(x^3)} and not (2^x)^3. Hope that makes sense.
