What if we divide   x^5   by   x^2   ?

x^5 / x^2

There is a rule for this, but, it's way better to understand what's going on than to just try to crunch the rule.

Let's write out what each one means:

x^5 / x^2 explained

Remember that    x / x = 1  ...  Just like    3 / 3 = 1  ...

So, we can cancel some 1's:

x^5 / x^2 = x^3


TRY IT:

Simplify    y^8 / y^3   by writing out what each one means: