a ^5 x a ^2 without exponents
When we multiply the same variable or number, we add exponents, so we have:
a^(5 + 2)
a^7
To write a variable raised to an exponent without exponents, we break it up. The formula to do this is:
a^n = a times itself n times
a^7 = a * a * a * a * a * a * a