Business Mathematics

Exponents and Radicals

Chapter 3
Chinthaka Wijerathne
Exponents and Radicals
Integer exponents

• Positive exponent 𝑎𝑛
• Negative exponents 𝑎−𝑛
• Zero exponents (𝑎0 )

• Simplify ,
𝑖 25 𝑖𝑖 −2 4 𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 24
Laws of exponents
You need to know,

𝑎𝑚
1. 𝑎𝑚 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑚+𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑
𝑎𝑛
= 𝑎𝑚−𝑛
𝑛 𝑎 𝑛 𝑎𝑛
2. 𝑎𝑏 = 𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 =
𝑏 𝑏𝑛
3. 𝑎𝑛 𝑚
= 𝑎𝑚𝑛

Exercise : page 21
Radicals
If 𝒃𝒏 = 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒃 = 𝒏
𝒂

𝑛 = 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥 𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟

− 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛
𝑎 − 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙

Find ,
3
𝑖 8 , 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ∜81
 The odd root of a number
Odd root of any number exists
3 3
Ex : - −8 = −2 𝑎𝑛𝑑 8=2

Property
𝑛
−𝑎 = − 𝑛 𝑎
 Even root of a Number

Even root of a negative number does not exists

Ex:- −2 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠

4
−16 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠

Find the solution of 𝑏 2 = 16

 Fractional Exponents
Definition :- 𝐿𝑒𝑡 𝑎 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟

(i) For 𝑛 a natural number ,

1
𝑛
𝑎 = 𝑛 𝑎

(ii) For 𝑛 a natural number ,

1
−𝑛 1
𝑎 = 1
𝑎 𝑛

𝑝 1
(iii) 𝑎 =
𝑞 𝑎𝑝 𝑞