state using exponents.The product of 17 factors of z? Solution it could be simply z = n17 that is assuming all the factors are the same which is the only way to use powers. n is the number that when multiplied by itself 17 times will give you z. example: if z were 131072, then you would have 217 = 131072. since we don\'t know what z is, we use a variable, n, for the base instead of the 2 i used in my example. your answer is n17.