Rewriting Brackets: How to Factor Out the s & Distribute Power of 6

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the process of factoring and distributing powers in algebraic expressions, specifically focusing on how to transform one bracketed expression into another while factoring out a variable and applying an exponent.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the steps involved in factoring an expression and distributing a power. Questions are raised about understanding the transformation without fully expanding the brackets. Some suggest clarifying the process by first factoring the expression inside the parentheses.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants providing insights on factoring techniques and the application of exponent rules. There is a collaborative effort to clarify the steps involved, though no consensus has been reached on a single method.

Contextual Notes

There is an emphasis on understanding the algebraic manipulation without resorting to multiplication of the entire expression, which may indicate a focus on conceptual understanding over procedural execution.

umzung
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Homework Statement
How does one bracket become the other?
Relevant Equations
See the attempt at a solution.
How does
Screenshot 2019-11-26 22.17.43.png
become
Screenshot 2019-11-26 22.17.54.png
?

I can see the s has been factored out and the power of 6 distributed, but how do we know this happens, short of multiplying out the brackets?
 
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First factor the s in the top expression. Then what happens with the power 6? I think it will be clearer then.
 
umzung said:
Homework Statement: How does one bracket become the other?
Homework Equations: See the attempt at a solution.

How does View attachment 253352become View attachment 253353?

I can see the s has been factored out and the power of 6 distributed, but how do we know this happens, short of multiplying out the brackets?
Just factor the expression inside the parentheses.
##\frac 1 2 s + \frac 1 2 s^2 = s( \frac 1 2 + \frac 1 2 s)##.

Then use the property that ##(ab)^n = a^nb^n##
 
Mark44 said:
Just factor the expression inside the parentheses.
##\frac 1 2 s + \frac 1 2 s^2 = s( \frac 1 2 + \frac 1 2 s)##.

Then use the property that ##(ab)^n = a^nb^n##
That's clearer, thanks.
 
I would actually go a little further than that. \frac{1}{2}s+ \frac{1}{2}s^2= \frac{1}{2}s(1+ s) so that \left(\frac{1}{2}s+ \frac{1}{2}s^2\right)^6= \frac{1}{64}s^6(1+ s)^6.
 

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