Powers and Exponents : Powers and Exponents Algebra Lesson 2
Powers and Exponents : Powers and Exponents A simple way to think of exponents and powers is as repeated multiplication.
m • m • m = m3
Key Terms : Key Terms Factor: When two or more numbers are multiplied, each number is called a factor.
Exponent: An exponent tells how many times a number (called a base) is used as a factor.
Power: A number that is expressed using exponents.
Key Terms : Key Terms Example:
10,000 = 10 • 10 • 10 • 10 = 104
Naming Powers : Naming Powers
Examples : Examples Example 1
Write 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 using exponents.
The base is 8.
Since 8 is a factor four times, the exponent is 4.
8 * 8 * 8 * 8 = 84
Examples : Examples Example 2
Write 43 as a product. Then evaluate.
The base is 4.
The exponent 3 means that 4 is a factor three times.
43 = 4 * 4 * 4
= 64