Mathematics

The key insight is recognizing that $4$ itself is a power of $2$—specifically $4 = 2^2$. Once you rewrite $4$ in terms of $2$, you can use exponent rules to convert between the two forms. This shows that numbers can have multiple "bases" depending on how you factor them, and the exponents will differ accordingly based on the relationship between those bases.

The key insight is recognizing that $4$ itself is a power of $2$—specifically $4 = 2^2$. Once you rewrite $4$ in terms of $2$, you can use exponent rules to convert between the two forms. This shows that numbers can have multiple "bases" depending on how you factor them, and the exponents will differ accordingly based on the relationship between those bases.