It is nonequivalent. Figure it out this way. Think about what number has to be multiplied by both the numerator and the denominator of to get to . It has to be the samee number for the one expression to be equivalent to the other. To get from 5x to x^3, we have to multiply by 1/5x^2. When we do that we get x^3. Good. Now we have to multiply the denominator by the same thing, 1/5x^2. . As you can see, they are not equivalent.
<em>The word 'linear' means something having to do with a line.On a Cartesian Plane, a linear function is a function where the graph is a straight line. The line can go in any direction, but it's always a straight line. A non-linear function has a shape that is not a straight line.</em>