Exponents Discovery

Monday, October 07, 2013 10:07 AM

Part 1 Something I learned from the applet is that you could put a negative exponent in and it would really make sense. Since you can change an exponent to extended multiplication. It makes sense to me because I can change the base by adding an exponent and just know how to do it. I learned that exponents are easier than they look since we had some practice last year so it makes more sense.
1. What is a base? A base is the number below the exponent that is the number being multiplied by the exponent. 2. What is a power? A power is the number in which is above the base that tells it how many times it will multiply by itself. 3. What does a base and power (exponent) tell you to do? The base and power tell you that you need to multiply the base by however much the power tells you to do. 4. What is a power a shortcut to? A power is a shortcut to just say that you multiply it by this number instead of writing every number out the long way. 5. How could you use geometry to describe squaring or cubing a number? You could use geometry to describe squaring a number by saying a square is 2-D y=so you multiply it twice itself. A cube is 3-D so you multiply it three times itself.

Part 2
Base 2 Exponent Meaning 4 3 2 2 2 1 2 0 2 -1 2 -2 Value

2*2*2*2 16 2*2*2 8 2*2 2 2/2 1/2 0.5/2 4 2 1 0.5 0.25

Introduction to Exponents Page 1

-2 2 -3 2 -4 2

0.5/2

0.25

0.25/2 0.125 0.125/2 0.0625

Part 3

1. What do you get when you add x by x? You would get x+x=x2 2. What do you get when you subtract x by x? You would get x*0=x0 3. What do you get when you multiply x by x? You would get x*x=x2 4. What do you get when you divide x by x? You would get x/x=1 5. What do you get when you multiply x by x by x? You would get x*x*x=x3 6. What about x by x by x by x by x? You would get x*x*x=x4 7. What do you get when you multiply x^2 by x? You would get x*x*x*=x3 8. What about x^2 by x^3? You would get x*x*x*x*x*=x5 9. What about x^4 by x^6? You would get x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*=x10 10. Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you multiply same bases. When you multiply the same bases it will always just be multiplying the number by itself by as many times as the exponent tells you to. 1. What do you get when you divide x by x? You would get x/x= x1 2. What do you get when you multiply x^2 by x? You would get (x*x)*x=x4 3. What about x^4 by x^2? You would get x*x*x*x/=x1 4. What do you get when you divide x^5 by x^3? You would get x*x*x*x*x*/x*x*x*x2 5. What about x^6 by x? You would get x*x*x*x*x*x*/x*=x5 6. Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you divide same bases. When you divide same bases you always divide by 1/2. 1. What do you get when you square x^3? You would get (x*x*x)*(x*x)= x5 2. What do you get when you square x^4? You would get (x*x*x*x)*(x*x)= x6 3. What do you get when you cube x^2? You would get (x*x)*(x*x)= x6

Introduction to Exponents Page 2

You would get (x*x)*(x*x)= x6 4. What do you get when you raise x^3 to the fourth power? You would get (x*x*x)4= x6 5. What do you get when you raise x^2 to the fifth power? You would get (x*x)5 = x7 6. Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you raise a base with an exponent by an exponent. When you raise a base with an exponent by an exponent you write out the exponential notation all the way out in parenthesis then you multiply it by how ever many the power tells you to do.

Introduction to Exponents Page 3