There are eight girls competing in an ice skating competition, in how many ways can they finish in first, second, and third place?

8! - 5! = (8 * 7 * 6 * 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1) - (5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1) = 8 * 7 * 6 = 336 

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.