Are exponents subtracted in a product?

Answer 1

Instead of just telling you the answer to your homework, let's work an example and see:

23 is the same as 2 x 2 x2 and 22 is the same as 2 x 2, so

23x22= (2 x 2 x 2) x ( 2 x 2 ) = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2

If your theory that we should subtract exponents in a product were true, then 23x22

should equal 21, correct? Does 21 equal 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2? How would you write 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 using exponents?