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Algebra basics (ASL)
Course: Algebra basics (ASL) > Unit 1
Lesson 3: Exponents (ASL)- Intro to exponents
- Exponent example 1
- Exponent example 2
- Squaring numbers
- Intro to exponents
- The 0 & 1st power
- Powers of zero
- Meaning of exponents
- 1 and -1 to different powers
- Comparing exponent expressions
- Exponents of decimals
- Powers of whole numbers
- Evaluating exponent expressions with variables
- Variable expressions with exponents
- Exponents review
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Intro to exponents
Learn how to use exponents and bases. For example, writing 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 with an exponent.
Here's what an exponent and a base look like:
The small number written above and to the right of a number is called an start color #e07d10, start text, e, x, p, o, n, e, n, t, end text, end color #e07d10. The number underneath the exponent is called the start color #11accd, start text, b, a, s, e, end text, end color #11accd. In this example, the base is start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd, and the exponent is start color #e07d10, 3, end color #e07d10.
Here's an example where the base is start color #11accd, 7, end color #11accd, and the exponent is start color #e07d10, 5, end color #e07d10:
An exponent tells us to multiply the base by itself that number of times. In our example, start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd, start superscript, start color #e07d10, 3, end color #e07d10, end superscript tells us to multiply the base of start color #11accd, 4, end color #11accd by itself start color #e07d10, 3, end color #e07d10 times:
Once we write out the multiplication problem, we can easily evaluate the expression. Let's do this for the example we've been working with:
The main reason we use exponents is because it's a shorter way to write out big numbers. For example, let's say we want to express the following:
That's really long to write. My hands hurt just from typing it! Instead we can see that start color #11accd, 2, end color #11accd is multiplied by itself start color #e07d10, 6, end color #e07d10 times. This means we can write the same thing with start color #11accd, 2, end color #11accd as the base and start color #e07d10, 6, end color #e07d10 as the exponent:
Cool, lets make sure we understand exponents by trying some practice problems.
Practice set:
Challenge set:
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