Describe how open paren 2 cubed close paren times open paren 2 to the negative 4 power close paren can be simplified.

When multiplying powers with the same base, keep the base and add the exponents: 2³ × 2⁻⁴ = 2^(3 + (−4)) = 2⁻¹. A negative exponent means take the reciprocal and make the exponent positive, so 2⁻¹ = 1/2. This matches choice C.

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