An exponent is part of a math problem where a base, which is a number, is multiplied by itself a number of time, the number of times is determined by the value of the exponent.
Whatever the exponent is, you will multiply the base by itself that many times. There is no limit on how high the exponent value can be.
Here is an example, you are give the following: 53. To solve this you must do 5 x 5 x 5. This is because whatever the exponent number is is how many times you need to multiply the base together. If it is 510, you will need to multiply 5 by itself ten times!
You will often hear people use other words than "exponent" when discussing these problems. Here are some of the common terms for the different exponent numbers:
Squared is when something is to the power of 2 and cubed is when something is to the power of 3.
Any non-zero number raised to the power of 0 is 1. This is known as the zero exponent rule. For example, 50 = 1.
Yes, exponents can be negative. A negative exponent represents the reciprocal of the base raised to the corresponding positive exponent.
Exponents are used in many areas, including scientific notation, computing powers of numbers, algebra, compound interest calculations, growth rates, and in describing the sizes of large or small quantities in science and engineering.
Create Date: June 16, 2024
Last Modified Date: October 18, 2024
