What is the quotient of powers property?

The quotient of powers property states that when two powers with the same base are divided, the exponents are subtracted from each other. This is written out in the formula: (a^b)/(a^c)=a^b-c.

This property allows the simplifying of exponents. When a number is raised to a power, the number is called the base, and the superscript number is the exponent. The quotient of powers property works with negative exponents as well, as long as the bases are the same. A similar property is the product of powers property, in which the exponents are added together to find the end result of two powers being multiplied together.