Which could be the first step in simplifying this expression? check all that apply. (x^3 x^-6)^2 (x^-18)^2 (x^-3)^2 (x^-2)^2 x^6 x^-12 x^5 x^-4

Option B and D are correct

or

Step-by-step explanation:

Using exponent rule:

Given the expression:

        ....[1]

Apply the exponent rule:

We can write the given expression as:

Apply the exponent rule in [1]:

⇒

Therefore, the  first step in simplifying this expression are:

or

step-by-step explanation:

descending order means to order the polynomials from the term with the largest exponent to the term with the smallest exponent.  

therefore, the correct answer is d.