Explain what you would do first to simplify the expression below. Justify why, and then state the result of performing this step.

Answer:

To simplify the expression, I would first simplify the term in the numerator within the innermost parentheses, (2r^2t)^3. Following the order of operations (PEMDAS), I must address the innermost grouping first. Using the power of a product property and the power of a power property, I would cube each factor inside the parentheses. This results in 2^3, (r^2)^3, and t^3, which simplifies to 8r^6t^3 in the numerator.