Exponents Discovery

Monday, October 07, 2013 10:53 AM

1. What have I learned? a. I learned that it follows the same rules of multiplication such as negatives accumulate and make the answer a positive or negative. An example is -3^-2 which equals -0.1 However I already knew that exponents where repeated multiplication. 2. The base is the lower number than is getting multiplied by itself to the power. 3. The power is the higher number that is telling how many times the base multiplies itself. 4. The base is multiplied by itself as many times as the power is (such as 2^3 is 2 x 2 x 2 or 8) 5. The power is the shortcut for doing lots of multiplication with the same number. 6. 2nd power is a 2d figure, and 3rd power is a Cube( 3d figure)

Base 2 2

Exponent 4 3

Meaning

Value

2*2*2*2 2*2*2

16 8

2 1

2*2

2 0 2 -1 2 -2 2 -3 2 -4 2

1/2

0.5

0.5 / 2

0.25

0.25 / 2

0.125

0.125 / 2 0.0625

1. Start with 2 to the first power. As you increase the exponent, what is operation happening to the base? a. The base is being multiplied by itself however many times the power is, if its a positive. (In this case, it is multiplied by 2)

Introduction to Exponents Page 1

2. Starting with the exponent of 4, as you decrease each exponent, what operation is happening to the base? The base is being divided by itself however many times the power is, if its a positive. (in this case, its divided by 2) 3. Double check your table. Does the pattern work from 2^-4 to 2^4 as the exponent increases each time? a. Yes ,the pattern continues as the previous number is always multiplied by 2, when going up. 4. Does the pattern work from 2^4 to 2^-4 as the exponent decreases each time? a. Yes, the pattern continues as the previous number is always divided by 2, when going down.

1. What do you get when you add x by x? a. You get 2x. 2. What do you get when you subtract x by x? a. You get 0x or 0. 3. What do you get when you multiply x by x? a. You get x^2. 4. What do you get when you divide x by x? a. You get 1. 5. What do you get when you multiply x by x by x? a. You get x^3 6. What about x by x by x by x by x? a. You get x^5. 7. What do you get when you multiply x^2 by x? a. You get x^3. 8. What about when you multiply x^2 by x^3? a. You get x^5 9. What about when you multiply x^4 by x^6? a. You get x^10. 10. Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you multiply same bases. a. You keep the base, but add the powers together. 11. What about when you multiply x^4 by x^2? a. You get x^6. 12. What do you get when you divide x^5 by x^3? a. You get x^2. 13. What about when you divide x^6 by x? a. You get x^5. 14. Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you divide same bases. a. You subtract the powers, and use the remainder. 15. What do you get when you square x^3? a. x^3^2 16. What do you get when you square x^4? a. x^4^2 17. What do you get when you cube x^2? a. x^2^3 18. What do you get when you raise x^3 to the fourth power? a. x^3^4 19. What do you get when you raise x^2 to the fifth power? a. x^2^5 20. Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you raise a base with an exponent by an exponent. a. You raise the first base by the power, and then you raise that number by the other power.

Introduction to Exponents Page 2