thorpelizts said:
An exponent, also known as a power, is a number that indicates how many times a base number should be multiplied by itself. It is represented by a small number written above and to the right of the base number.
To simplify an expression with exponents, you can use the rules of exponents. These rules state that when multiplying powers with the same base, you can add the exponents. When dividing powers with the same base, you can subtract the exponents. And when raising a power to another power, you can multiply the exponents.
Yes, you can combine terms with different exponents if they have the same base. You can use the rule for multiplying powers with the same base to add the exponents and then simplify the resulting expression.
A positive exponent indicates that the base number should be multiplied by itself a certain number of times. A negative exponent, on the other hand, indicates that the base number should be divided by itself a certain number of times. For example, 23 means 2 multiplied by itself 3 times, while 2-3 means 2 divided by itself 3 times.
Yes, just like with any mathematical expression, you should follow the order of operations when simplifying expressions with exponents. This means simplifying any terms within parentheses first, then exponents, followed by multiplication and division from left to right, and finally addition and subtraction from left to right.
