Work out the values of \( a \) and \( b \) in the equality \[ \left(2 x^{3}\right)^{a}=b x^{12} \]
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The Deep Dive
To solve the equation \( \left(2 x^{3}\right)^{a} = b x^{12} \), we first simplify the left-hand side. 1. **Simplifying the left side**: \[ \left(2 x^{3}\right)^{a} = 2^{a} \cdot (x^{3})^{a} = 2^{a} \cdot x^{3a} \] 2. **Equating the expressions**: Now we can rewrite the equation: \[ 2^{a} \cdot x^{3a} = b \cdot x^{12} \] 3. **Matching coefficients**: For the equality to hold true for all \( x \), the coefficients and the powers of \( x \) must be the same. Thus, we have: - For the powers of \( x \): \[ 3a = 12 \] - For the coefficients: \[ 2^{a} = b \] 4. **Solving for \( a \)**: From \( 3a = 12 \): \[ a = \frac{12}{3} = 4 \] 5. **Finding \( b \)**: Now, substituting \( a = 4 \) into \( 2^{a} = b \): \[ b = 2^{4} = 16 \] Thus, the values are: \[ a = 4, \quad b = 16 \]