My question is what is the difference between 12a and a12

Question

I need this soon, we are learning about it and it has always stumped me.

Answer 1

IF you mean 12xa an ax12, then there is no difference

but if you mean 12a and a^12, then there's a huge difference

and they're only the same if 12a = a^12

12 = a^11

a = the 11th root of 12

a^12 means a x a x a x a x a x a x a x a x a x a x a x a = a times itself 12 times

12a means 12 x a