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JAMB UTME - Mathematics - 2025

Question 1 Report

Simplify 125\(^{−\frac{1}{3}}\) × 49\(^{−\frac{1}{2}}\) × 10\(^0\)

Answer Details

Start by breaking down each part of the expression:


  • \( 125^{-\frac{1}{3}} \)
  • \( 49^{-\frac{1}{2}} \)
  • \( 10^{0} \)

Let’s look at each part:


  • Exponent rules: For any nonzero number \( a \), \( a^0 = 1 \). So, \( 10^0 = 1 \).
  • Negative exponents: \( a^{-n} = \frac{1}{a^n} \). Negative exponents mean "take the reciprocal."
  • Fractional exponents: \( a^{\frac{1}{n}} = \sqrt[n]{a} \). The denominator in the fraction tells what root to take.

Let's simplify each part:


  • \( 125^{-\frac{1}{3}} \) means take the reciprocal and the cube root:
    \[ 125^{-\frac{1}{3}} = \frac{1}{125^{1/3}} \] The cube root of 125 is 5 (because \( 5^3 = 125 \)), so: \[ 125^{-\frac{1}{3}} = \frac{1}{5} \]
  • \( 49^{-\frac{1}{2}} \) means take the reciprocal and the square root:
    \[ 49^{-\frac{1}{2}} = \frac{1}{49^{1/2}} \] The square root of 49 is 7 (because \( 7^2 = 49 \)), so: \[ 49^{-\frac{1}{2}} = \frac{1}{7} \]
  • \( 10^0 \) simplifies to 1.

Now, multiply all the simplified parts together:

\[ \frac{1}{5} \times \frac{1}{7} \times 1 = \frac{1}{5 \times 7} = \frac{1}{35} \]


The correct answer is \( \frac{1}{35} \) because: Negative exponents mean you take the reciprocal, fractional exponents correspond to roots, and anything raised to the 0 power (except 0) is 1. Multiply the simplified results to get the final fraction.