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I just recently started relearning math as an adult, this should be easy but I have trouble understanding what the actual question is. I am not just looking for the answer to this, I merely wish to understand what the question is asking.

Express each of the following expressions in the form $2^m3^na^rb^s$, where $m$, $n$, $r$ and $s$ are positive integers.

a) $8a^2b^3(27a^4)(2^5ab)$

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    @robjohn: I think you have to assume that, or that you are solving it for general $a,b$.2012-07-16

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You are being asked to express $8$ as $2^3$ and similarly $27$, then to commute the various terms to gather the exponents of $2, 3, a, b$. For example, how many powers of $a$ are in the expression?

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    @nitrous2: You got it.2012-07-17