To multiply fractions, multiply the numerators together and then multiply the denominators together:

\( \frac{1}{7} \) x \( \frac{4}{7} \) = \( \frac{1 x 4}{7 x 7} \) = \( \frac{4}{49} \) = \(\frac{4}{49}\)

To divide fractions, invert the second fraction and then multiply:

\( \frac{2}{6} \) ÷ \( \frac{2}{7} \) = \( \frac{2}{6} \) x \( \frac{7}{2} \)

To multiply fractions, multiply the numerators together and then multiply the denominators together:

\( \frac{2}{6} \) x \( \frac{7}{2} \) = \( \frac{2 x 7}{6 x 2} \) = \( \frac{14}{12} \) = 1\(\frac{1}{6}\)

To add or subtract terms with exponents, both the base and the exponent must be the same. In this case they are so subtract the coefficients and retain the base and exponent:

5z² - 7z²
(5 - 7)z²
-2z²

The commutative property states that, when adding or multiplying numbers, the order in which they're added or multiplied does not matter. For example, 3 + 4 and 4 + 3 give the same result, as do 3 x 4 and 4 x 3.

If 71% of the town's 31,000 voters cast ballots the number of votes cast is:

(\( \frac{71}{100} \)) x 31,000 = \( \frac{2,201,000}{100} \) = 22,010

The mayor got 85% of the votes cast which is:

(\( \frac{85}{100} \)) x 22,010 = \( \frac{1,870,850}{100} \) = 18,709 votes.