Chapter 1 · Numbers · page 5 of 68
Exponents
levelPre-algebra
standard6.EE.A.1
practiceOrder of operations
An exponent counts how many copies of the base are multiplied together. 3² is 3 × 3. 2³ is 2 × 2 × 2. The exponent applies only to what it is attached to.
How to use it
- Write out the copies if you are unsure.
- Without parentheses, a minus sign is not part of the base: −2² means −(2²) = −4.
- With parentheses it is: (−2)² = 4.
Example
Where it goes wrong
- Multiplying the base by the exponent. 5² is 25, not 10.
- Squaring a negative without parentheses and getting a positive.