2.

3 Exponents
1. Positive Integer Exponent: If x is a real number and m is
a positive integer than
xm = x
| · x {z
· . . . · x}
m−times

2. Power Function: If m is a positive integer then the function

f (x) = xm
is called a power function.
3. Examples.

(a) f (x) = x (d) i(x) = x4

(b) g(x) = x2 3
(c) h(x) = x

1
4. Facts About Power Functions: Let a power function
f (x) = xm, m ∈ N
be given.
(a) What is the domain of the function f ?

(b) What is the range of the function f ?

(c) Find the zeros of the function f , i.e., solve the equation
f (x) = 0.

(d) Determine the intervals of increase and decrease for the func-
tion f .

2
(e) Summary:

f (x) = xm, m ∈ N m even m odd

Domain

Range

f (x) = 0

Increasing

Decreasing

Odd or even

3
5. Properties of Positive Integers Exponents: Let x and
y be real numbers and let m and n be positive integers. Then
xm · xn = xm+n
(xm)n = xmn
xm · y m = (xy)m

Reasons?

6. Examples: Evaluate
(a) 34 · 33 − (33)2

(b) (33 + 63)2 − 2 · 183

(c) (xn + y n)2 − 2 · (xy)n, where n ∈ N

4
7. Positive and Negative Numbers and Zero as expo-
nents
Evaluate:
35
(a) 2 =
3
32
(b) 5 =
3
35
(c) 5 =
3
(d) Let x 6= 0 and m, n ∈ N. Then

if m > n
xm 
= if m < n
xn 
if m = n
8. Two Definitions: Let x 6= 0 and m ∈ N. Then, by definition
1
x−m =
xm
and
x0 = 1.

9. More Power Functions:

Note the asymptotes.

5
 1 1
1 (b) g(x) = = x−2 1 (d) i(x) = = x−4
(a) f (x) = = x−1 x2 (c) h(x) = 3 = x−3 x4
x x
Figure 2: Four power functions

10. More Facts About Power Functions: Let a power func-

tion
1
f (x) = x−m = m , m ∈ N
x
be given.
(a) What is the domain of the function f ?

(b) What is the range of the function f ?

(c) Find the zeros of the function f , i.e., solve the equation
f (x) = 0.

(d) Determine the intervals of increase and decrease for the func-
tion f .

6
(e) Summary:

f (x) = x−m, m ∈ N m even m odd

Domain

Range

f (x) = 0

Increasing

Decreasing

Odd or even

7
11. What about rational exponents or real exponents?
1
(a) Can we give a meaning to 2 2 ?

1
(b) What about 2− 3 ?

22
(c) And 2 7 ?

(d) or even 2π ?

8
 1
12. Definition: For m ∈ N\{1} and x ∈ R we define x m as the
real number for which
 1 m
xm =x

if such number exists. If there are two numbers with this property
(this may happened if m is even) we choose one that is non-
negative.
1
The number x m is called the mth root of x
Notation:
1 √
m
xm = x, m ≥ 3
1 √
x2 = x
13. Examples: Evaluate
1
(a) 16 4 =

√
4
(b) 16 =
1 √
3
(c) (−8) = 3 −8 =

1 √
(d) 4 =
2 4=
1 √
(e) (−4) 2 = −4

9
14. Four more graphs:

√ 1 √
1 √ 1
(b) f (x) = x 3 = 3
x (c) f (x) = x 4 = 4
x √
(a) f (x) = x 2 = x 1
(d) f (x) = x 5 = 5
x
1 √
m
Figure 3: y = x m = x, m = 2, 3, 4, 5

15. Even More Facts About Power Functions: Let a power

function
1 √
f (x) = x m = m x, m ∈ N\{1}
be given.
(a) What is the domain of the function f ?

(b) What is the range of the function f ?

(c) Find the zeros of the function f , i.e., solve the equation
f (x) = 0.

(d) Determine the intervals of increase and decrease for the func-
tion f .

10
(e) Summary:

√
f (x) = m
x, m ∈ N\{1} m even m odd

Domain

Range

f (x) = 0

Increasing

Decreasing

Odd or even

11
16. Functions and their inverses:

√ √
(a) f (x) = x2 , x ≥ 0, and f −1 (x) = x 1
(b) f (x) = x3 and f −1 (x) = x 3 = 3
x

Figure 4: Functions and their inverses

17. Facts:
(a) If m is an even integer then f (x) = xm, x ≥ 0, is an one-to-
1 √
one function and its inverse function is f −1(x) = x m = m x.
The domain of f −1 is the set of nonnegative real numbers.
(b) If m is an odd integer then f (x) = xm, x ∈ R, is an one-to-
1 √
one function and its inverse function is f −1(x) = x m = m x.
The domain of f −1 is the set of all real numbers.
18. Definition: If m ∈ N, n ∈ Z, and x ∈ R then
n
 1 n
xm = xm

whenever this is defined.

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19. Must Know Let x and y be real numbers and let m and n be
rational numbers. Then
xm · xn = xm+n
(xm)n = xmn
x0 = 1
xm
= xm−n, x 6= 0
xn
xm · y m = (xy)m
 m
x xm
= m , y 6= 0
y y

whenever those numbers are defined.

13
20. Example: Simplify
 3 2 3
xy z
=
x2 y 2 z 3

21. Example: Simplify

 3 2  12
xy z
=
x2 y 2 z 3

14