Exponents
Exponents are a way of writing repeated multiplication in a short form. Instead of writing the same number multiple times, we use an exponent to show how many times to multiply it by itself.
For example:
\( 2^3 \) means 2 × 2 × 2 = 8.
(Here, 3 is the exponent, and it tells us to multiply 2 three times.)
\( 5^2 \)means 5 × 5 = 25.
(Here, 2 is the exponent, meaning we multiply 5 by itself once.)
The small number (exponent) above the base number tells us how many times to multiply the base by itself.
Special cases:
– Any number to the power of 1 stays the same (e.g., \( 7^1 = 7 \)).
– Any number to the power of 0 is 1 (e.g., \( 5^0 = 1 \)).
So, exponents just make it easier to write big multiplications in a short way! 😊
