Exponents
1. What is an Exponent? Imagine your teacher asks you to write this on the whiteboard: 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 Your hand will feel very tired, right? In math, we have a shortcut to write long multiplications. We write it like this: 2¹⁰ 🔹The Big Number (2) is called the Base. This is the number that multiplies itself. 🔹The Small Number (10) is called the Exponent or Power. It tells you how many times you repeat the multiplication. So, 2¹⁰ simply means: “Multiply 2 by itself, 10 times!” 2. The Golden Rules of Exponents To solve exponent problems easily, you only need to remember these simple rules: Rule A: Multiplication (Add the Powers) If the base numbers are the same and you multiply them, just add the exponents. Formula: aᵐ x aⁿ = aᵐ⁺ⁿ Example: 2² x 2³ = 2⁵ Rule B: Division (Subtract the Powers) If the base numbers are the same and you divide them, just subtract the exponents. Formula: aᵐ ÷ aⁿ = aᵐ⁻ⁿ Example: 3⁵ ÷ 3² = 3⁵⁻² Rule C: Power of a Power (M...