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In simplified exponential notation, what does 2 • a • b • a • b equal?
2a^2b
a^2b^2
2a^2b^2
2ab
The correct answer is: 2a^2b^2
To simplify the expression \(2 \cdot a \cdot b \cdot a \cdot b\), we first need to rearrange and group similar terms. When we multiply the factors, we can combine the like bases together. In this case, the expression contains two \(a\) terms and two \(b\) terms. Specifically, \(a\) appears twice in the product, which allows us to express it as \(a^2\), and similarly, \(b\) also appears twice, leading to \(b^2\). Thus, we can rewrite the expression from its original form: \[ 2 \cdot a \cdot b \cdot a \cdot b = 2 \cdot (a \cdot a) \cdot (b \cdot b) = 2 \cdot a^2 \cdot b^2 \] Therefore, the entire expression simplifies to \(2a^2b^2\). This matches the choice of \(2a^2b^2\), making it the correct answer. The other options do not align with the complete multiplication of all factors as seen in the original expression. For example,