Answer the following questions with clear explanations and illustrative examples.
CHEMISTRY · Multi-part · ISC · Chemistry · Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure · Hybridisation
Problem
Answer the following questions with clear explanations and illustrative examples.
(i) Explain, with a suitable numerical example, why (am)n=amn holds for positive real a and integers m,n. Show the calculation explicitly.
(ii) Using the same example, describe the effect on the exponent when the outer power n is a fraction such as 21. Show the steps that lead to the simplified form.
(iii) Contrast the two situations in (i) and (ii) and state, in your own words, the common rule that governs both cases.