Exponents Wiki Activity

Monday, October 07, 2013 9:01 AM

The base is the number that is going to be multiplied by the number of times the exponent says to multiply. The power is the number of times the base or number is multiplied. The base tells you what number to multiply and the power or exponent tells you how many times you should multiply the base. A power or exponent is a shortcut to writing out a lot of numbers and multiplication symbols. Like when you square a number, you are making it the area of a square and if you are cubing it you are calculating the area of a cube with the base. Base 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Exponent 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 Meaning 2x2x2x2 2x2x2 2x2 2 No expanded Form (1) 1/2 1/2x1/2 1/2x1/2x1/2 1/2x1/2x1/2x1/2 Value 16 8 4 2 1 0.5 (1/2) 0.25 (1/4) 0.125 (1/8) 0.0625 (1/16)

Start with 2 to the first power. As you increase the exponent, what is operation happening to the base? If we start with 2 as the base, every time you increase the exponent, you would times it by 2 again. Starting with the exponent of 4, as you decrease each exponent, what operation is happening to the base? You are multiplying it another time by 4. Part 3: Powers of Variables

Use constants to help you think through what happens with variables in the
Introduction to Exponents Page 1

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Use constants to help you think through what happens with variables in the following list of questions. What do you get when you add x by x? 2x What do you get when you subtract x by x? 0 What do you get when you multiply x by x? x2 What do you get when you divide x by x? 1 What do you get when you multiply x by x by x? x3 What about x by x by x by x by x? x5 What do you get when you multiply x^2 by x? x3 What about x^2 by x^3? x5 What about x^4 by x^6? X10 Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you multiply same bases. When you multiply the same bases together, you can just add the exponents together. What do you get when you divide x by x? 1 What do you get when you multiply x^2 by x? x3 What about x^4 by x^2? x6 What do you get when you divide x^5 by x^3? x2 What about x^6 by x? x7 Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you divide same bases. When you divide the same bases, you minus the exponents. What do you get when you square x^3? x6 What do you get when you square x^4? x8 What do you get when you cube x^2? x6 What do you get when you raise x^3 to the fourth power? x12 What do you get when you raise x^2 to the fifth power? x10 Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you raise a base with an exponent by an exponent. You multiply the exponent by the exponent.

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Introduction to Exponents Page 2