What is the correct simplification of the expression x^2y^2?

The expression x²y² can be simplified using the properties of exponents. Here are the steps to correctly simplify this expression:

• Identify the coefficients: In the expression, there are no additional coefficients in front of x and y, implying both are equal to 1 by default.
• Apply the exponent rule: According to the exponent rule, when you have a product of terms with the same exponent, you can factor out the base. Thus, we can represent x²y² as:
• x²y² = (xy)²: This shows that you can rewrite the expression as the square of the product of x and y.

Therefore, the correct simplification of the expression x²y² is (xy)². This simplification is both accurate and follows the principles of algebraic manipulation.