Question

Can anybody explain the laws of exponents to me? I have a test on Monday, so it's important!

Answer 1

Hi there!

With exponents, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Do not multiply the base by the exponent (the base is the number that has an exponent; for example, 3 is the base of 3^2)

2. On the computer, exponents are signaled by this sign ^.

3. The exponent is the number of times you multiply the base by itself

Let's say you're given this exponent : 6^3

Because the exponent is 3, we need to multiply 6 by 6 a total of 3 times. It's tricky, but here's how you do it:

(6 * 6) * 6

36 * 6 = 216

So, 6^3 is 216

Here's another example:

9^5

(9*9) * 9* 9* 9

[81 * 9]*9 *9

[729 * 9] * 9

6561 * 9

59049