There are two ways that fractions get involved in exponents. The first is when the exponent itself is a fraction. The second is when the base is a fraction, and we’re raising that fractional base to an exponent. This lesson will cover how to find the power of a fraction as well as introduce how to work with fractional exponents.
Read MoreThere are two cases to think of when you’re simplifying powers of negative bases. The first is when the base actually isn’t negative at all, because there are no parentheses around the negative sign. In that case, we’ll apply the exponent to the positive base, and then apply the negative sign afterwards. The second is when we have parentheses around the negative sign, in which case the exponent applies to the base and its negative sign.
Read MoreWhen we want to find the sum or difference of two exponential expressions, they must be “like terms,” meaning that they must have the same base and the same exponent; otherwise, we can’t add or subtract them. Multiplication and division of exponential expressions is a little different. When we multiply and divide, we need only the bases to be the same. We do not need the exponents to be the same.
Read MoreThis is the rule we use when we’re dividing one exponential expression by another exponential expression. The quotient rule tells us that we have to subtract the exponent in the denominator from the exponent in the numerator, but the bases have to be the same.
Read MoreExponents are a tool we can use to write numbers in a simpler way. An exponent is a little number that you write above and to the right of another number, and it tells you how many times to multiply the base number by itself.
Read MoreExponents are a fundamental math tool that you learn in Pre-algebra, but a lot of people continue to struggle with them all the way through calculus!
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