Suppose that the maximum weight that a certain type of rectangular beam can support varies inversely as its length and jointly as its width and the square of its height. Suppose also that a beam inches wide, inches high, and feet long can support a maximum of tons. What is the maximum weight that could be supported by a beam that is inches wide, inches high, and feet long

Look, when you want to do something like put it like x^2. x2 could mean x² or x₂. so to clear confusion, know the notation. to find the product multiply the x's and you get -8x and the y's and you get 6y. since it's all being multiplied it is just -8x6y, or answer a. although the better answer is -48xy(combining -8 and 6) because you should multiply constants whenever you can.