Exponents and Scientific Notation

Front

What is an exponent?

Back

An exponent is a number that indicates how many times to multiply the base by itself. For example, in 2^3, 2 is the base and 3 is the exponent, meaning 2 is multiplied by itself 3 times (2 x 2 x 2 = 8).

Front

What is scientific notation?

Back

Scientific notation is a way of expressing numbers that are too large or too small to be conveniently written in decimal form. It is written as a product of a number between 1 and 10 and a power of 10. For example, 4500 can be written as 4.5 x 10^3.

Front

How do you convert a number to scientific notation?

Back

To convert a number to scientific notation, move the decimal point to create a number between 1 and 10, and count how many places you moved it. This count becomes the exponent of 10. If you move the decimal to the left, the exponent is positive; if to the right, it is negative.

Front

What is the standard form of 4.3756 x 10^4?

Back

43,756

Front

What is the result of 3x^2 ⋅ x^2?

Back

3x^4

Front

How do you simplify the expression x^m ⋅ x^n?

Back

You add the exponents: x^(m+n).

Front

How do you simplify the expression x^m / x^n?

Back

You subtract the exponents: x^(m-n).

Front

What is the scientific notation for 0.068?

Back

6.8 x 10^-2

Front

What is the scientific notation for 950,000?

Back

9.5 x 10^5

Front

What happens to the exponent when you multiply two powers with the same base?

Back

You add the exponents.