Question - Understanding Powers and Exponents

To simplify the expression, we recognize the pattern in the powers of -16.

The expression can be rewritten as:

(-16)¹ × (-16)² × (-16)³ × (-16)⁴ × (-16)⁵

This is equivalent to:

(-16)^1+2+3+4+5

Calculating the exponent:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15

So, the simplified expression is:

(-16)¹⁵