Exponents

 

Exponents

The exponent of a number shows you how many times the number is to be used in a multiplication.







Using exponents also called powers can be a faster way to write a multiplication problem. like when you have to figure out ....


You can also add, subtract, multiply, or divide a number easier if it is in exponent form then if you have to divide a very big number. 

8x8=64 but it  could also be written as 8² or it could be written in words as 8 squared.

5x5x5=125 but it could be written as 5³ or it could be written in words as 5 cubed

There is a button on calculators for squared is  x²
there is a button for cubed to is look like x³
for the number 4-9 you could just use the ^ symbol after the base number.

Negative Exponents

Negative? What could be the opposite of multiplying?

Dividing!

A negative exponent means how many times to divide one by the number.

Example: 8^-1 = 1 ÷ 8 = 0.125

You can have many divides:

Example: 5^-3 = 1 ÷ 5 ÷ 5 ÷ 5 = 0.008

But that can be done an easier way:

5^-3 could also be calculated like:

1 ÷ (5 × 5 × 5) = 1/5³ = 1/125 = 0.008

Below is a cool activity about exponents.

 http://prezi.com/riorv8f_b1d0/c1-1-3-exploring-exponents/

exponent song