Answer
$-\dfrac{8}{x^4}$
Work Step by Step
Using the laws of exponents, the given expression, $
\dfrac{56x^{-5}}{-7x^{-1}}
,$ is equivalent to
\begin{array}{l}\require{cancel}
(56\div(-7))x^{-5-(-1)}
\\\\=
-8x^{-5+1}
\\\\=
-8x^{-4}
\\\\=
-\dfrac{8}{x^4}
.\end{array}
For more complicated problems, it is helpful to remember that you can flip the location of numbers with negative exponents. In other words, you can move numbers with a negative exponent that are in the numerator to the denominator, and you can move numbers with a negative exponent in the denominator to the numerator.
