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Power (Exponent)

Power (Exponent)

One-page printable reference

See It in Action

Two examples of the idea done right—and one common look-alike that is not right.

EXAMPLE

EXAMPLE

NON-EXAMPLE

Definition

In mathematics, the power of an exponent refers to the number of times a base number is multiplied by itself. It is represented as:


a^n


where:

  • a is the base (the number being multiplied),

  • n is the exponent (the number of times the base is multiplied by itself).

Example:

In 3^4, the number 3 is the base, and the exponent is 4, which means:


3^4 = 3  3  3 = 81


So, the power 3^4 means that the base 3 is multiplied by itself 4 times.


The exponent also defines some special rules for mathematical operations like zero exponent (a^0 = 1, for any non-zero a), and negative exponents (a^-n = 1/a^n).

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