How do you simplify (-4y^3)(½y)?

1 Answer
May 1, 2017

-2y^4

Explanation:

The two brackets mean that the factors are all multiplied.

Multiply the signs, then the numbers, then the variables.

(color(blue)(-)color(red)(4)color(green)(y^3)) xx(color(blue)(+)color(red)(1/2)color(green)(y))

=color(blue)(-)color(red)((4xx1/2))(color(green)(y^3 xx y))" "larr add indices of like bases.

color(blue)(-color(red)(2)color(green)(y^4)