EXPONENTS

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards

Learning Outcome 1: Number and Number Relationships When solving problems, the learner is able to recognise, describe, represent and work confidently with numbers and their relationships to estimate, calculate and check solutions. Assessment Standards We know this when the learner is able to: Identify rational numbers and convert between terminating or recurring decimals and the a form: _; a; b ; b 0 b

Lesson

Overview
In this lesson you will:

Revise the Laws of exponents you learned in previous grades. Understand and interpretate negative exponents. Factorise and simplify expressions involving exponents. Work with big numbers and write them in the correct notation. am an = am + n for m and n

Law 1 Example

3x2y3 2xy4 = 6x3 y7 Law 2

a m 1 _ = _ also m7 m m6 1 _ = m6 7 = m1 = _ m m7
6

am _ = am n n

for m and n N

Examples
1 p1 = _ p 3 3x1 = _ x 1 (3m)1 = _ 3m x6 _=1 x6 x6 _ = x0 = 1 x6 4 4 4.32 = _ = _ 32 9 1 1 22 = _ = _ 22 4

q q 2 3 p 3 q = _ = _ 23p4 8p4

so a0 = 1

Look at these examples: 3x0 = 3 a0 + b = 1 + b

1 xn = _ if n N xn

but (3x)0 = 1

(a + b)0 = 1

What have we learnt?

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x0 = 1 Law 3 (am)n = amn and (pm qn)t = pmt.qnt Examples Simplify 1. 2.

x (2x1 y)1 = 21 xy1 = _ 2y (x2 y3 )(2xy2) 2

= (x2 y3)(22 x2 y4)

1 = 22 x0 y1 = _ 4y

We will now break down exponents into prime powers and use the rules to simplify. Examples 1.
2 m + 1.4m 1 Simplify __ 8m
m+1

2 .(2 ) 2 m + 1.22m 2 __ = __ 3 m 3m
2 m1

(2 )

=2

m + 1 + 2m 2 3m

1 = 21 = _ 2

2.

Be careful ! Simplify

=_ x _
x y y

x1 + y1 _ xy1 1 1 _+_

1 1 _+_ x y _ x _ y

_ xy
xy

=_ x2
y+x

Obey the rules!! What happens when we have plus or minus signs? Stop and THINK! Example 1 Simplify Split terms and factorise
2x + 1 + 2x __ 2x + 2 x x _ = 2 2 x+22 22 2x(2 + 1) = __ 2x.22 3 =_ 4

Scientific Notation

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2 000000000000 and 0, 00000000014 = 2.1012 = 1,4.10 10

(a) How many metres is 187 km? 187 000m = 1,87 105 (b) How many centimetres is it? 1,87 107 (c) How many milimetres is it? 1,87 108 (d) The mass of a proton is 0,000000000000000000000000001673 kg (i) What is the mass of two protons? 3.346 10 27 kg ii) What is the mass of 1 000 protons? 1,673 10 24 kg iii) What is the mass of a million protons? 1,673 10 21 kg Problem solving 1.
22008 + 22010 Simplify __ 22009 22006

= __ 22006(23 1)
22008(1 + 22) 4(5)

=_ 7
20 =_ 7

2.

What is the units digit in 22008 ? Try using a calculator ? Look for a pattern. 21 = 2 22 = 4 23 = 8 24 = 16 units digit 2 units digit 4 units digit 8 units digit 6

25 = 32 units digit 2 26 = 64 units digit 4 Pattern 2;4;8;6;2;4;8;6;2;4;8;6 The units digit of 2

2008

is 6.

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Activity 1
Simplify 1. 3. 5. 7. 9. 52 m 5m
2x 1.3x + 1 __ x2 x 2 .3 2 __ n 1 n + 2 3n
2n

2. 4.

16x5y10 8x10y5
45n + 1.5n 1.811 __ n+2 n 1 4 .36 3 .10 _ x x
x x2

2 .(8 )

.4

6. 8.

2 .15

92n + 1.62n 3 __ 35n 2.2.3n.4n 2 12 3x.62x 1.24x + 1 __ 3x

22n.92n + 2.32n 5 __ 4n 2.36n 1

Activity 2
Simplify 1. 3. 5. 7.
3x + 3x + 1 __ x x+2 3 3 6.3 2.3 __ x x+2
x1 x+1

2. 4. 6.

2.2x + 1 + 8.2x 3 __ x1 x4 4.2 16.2 5.5 + 3.5x __ x+2 x2

x1

5.3 + 3

2.5 2

10.5

7 7 __ x2
x2 x1

7 (a2)3 a2.a3 __ a 2(a4 a3)

4 + 3.22x 4 __ 2x + 1 2x 3
x1

+ 5.2

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