Competition problem — Algebra — Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 1.4 Junior Find the answer

If $a$ and $b$ are positive integers, the operation $
abla $is defined by$ a
abla b=a^{b} imes b^{a} $. What is the value of$ 2
abla 3$?

Your answer

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

Since $a
abla b=a^{b} imes b^{a} $, then$ 2
abla 3=2^{3} imes 3^{2}=8 imes 9=72$.

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