Exponents Discovery

Monday, October 07, 2013 10:08 AM

The exponent of a number says how many times to use that number in a multiplication. The base of an exponent is the bottom number that indicates the factor that is being multiplied. The exponent tells how many factors are in the multiplication. A base and power tells you that you have to multiply the base times itself as many times as the power. So if you have 52 it is 5 times itself two times. The power of a number shows you how many times to use the number in a multiplication. A power indicates repeated multiplication. Part 3 1. What do you get when you add x by x? 2x 2. What do you get when you subtract x by x? 0 3. What do you get when you multiply x by x? X2 4. What do you get when you divide x by x? 1x 5. What do you get when you multiply x by x by x? 3x 6. What about x by x by x by x by x? 5x 7. What do you get when you multiply x^2 by x? X3 8. What about x^2 by x^3? X5 9. What about x^4 by x^6? X10 10. Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you multiply same bases. When you multiply same bases you would write the exponent and add one more too it.

1. 2. 3. 4.

What do you get when you divide x by x? When you divide x/x you get 1x What do you get when you multiply x^2 by x? X1 What about x^4 by x^2? X7 What do you get when you divide x^5 by x^3?
Introduction to Exponents Page 1

4. 5. 6.

What do you get when you divide x^5 by x^3? X9 What about x^6 by x? X7 Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you divide same bases. When you divide same bases you would write the exponent and subtract one from it.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

What do you get when you square x^3? x*x*x What do you get when you square x^4? x*x*x*x What do you get when you cube x^2? x*x What do you get when you raise x^3 to the fourth power? x*x*x What do you get when you raise x^2 to the fifth power? x*x Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you raise a base with an exponent by an exponent. It becomes the base to that power.

Part 2 Base Exponent Meaning 2 4 2*2*2*2 3 2*2*2 2 2 2 1 2 0 2 -1 2*-2 -2

Introduction to Exponents Page 2

Value 16 8

2*2

2*1

-1 2 -2 2 -3 2 -4 2

2*-2

-2

-2*-2

-2*-2*-2*

-8

-2*-2*-2 *-2

16

Introduction to Exponents Page 3