9. Simplify. If your answer has a negative exponent or an exponent of 0 , make sure to rewrite your answer. \( \left(5 x^{3}\right)\left(2 x^{2}\right) \)

To simplify \( \left(5 x^{3}\right)\left(2 x^{2}\right) \), multiply the coefficients (5 and 2) together to get 10. Next, use the property of exponents that states when multiplying like bases, you add the exponents, so \( x^3 \cdot x^2 = x^{3+2} = x^5 \). Your final answer is \( 10x^{5} \). Remember, if the exponent were negative, like \( x^{-n} \), you would rewrite it as \( \frac{1}{x^{n}} \), and if it were zero, any number (except for zero itself) raised to the power of zero equals 1! So, always keep an eye on those pesky exponents!