I’m not sure how to solve this problem.

When you divide a variable with an exponent by a variable with an exponent, you subtract the exponents. But you can only combine the exponents if the variable/base is the same(it's different for subtraction/addition).

For example:

  You can't simplify this because they have different variables (x and y)

    You can simplify since they have the same variable of x

When the exponent is negative, you have to move the variable and the exponent to the other side of the fraction to make the exponent positive.

For example:

You can do the problem like this:

  2 negative signs cancel out and becomes +

Your answer is:

answer: bearing in mind that a rectangle has a perimeter of length + length + width + width.

step-by-step explanation:

p = perimeter

l = length

x=width

p = 2l + 2x

p = 2(l+x)     < ==== perimeter of the base of the box.