Powers and Roots Practice Problems - Basic Exponents

Master basic exponents and square roots with step-by-step practice problems. Learn how to solve powers like 4² and roots like √16 with guided exercises.

πŸ“šWhat You'll Master in This Practice Session
  • Calculate basic exponents like 3Β², 5Β³, and identify base and exponent
  • Solve square roots including √4, √16, and √25 using inverse operations
  • Apply special exponent rules: any number to power 0 equals 1
  • Recognize that any number to power 1 equals itself
  • Practice mixed problems combining exponents and roots in expressions
  • Build confidence with step-by-step solutions and detailed explanations

Understanding Powers and Roots - Basic

Complete explanation with examples

Exponents and Roots

What is an exponent?

An exponent tells us the amount of times a number is to be multiplied by itself.

What is a root?

A root is the inverse operation of exponentiation, which helps us discover which number multiplied by itself gives this result.

The square root is equal to the power of 0.5.

Exponents and the Base of the Exponents

Detailed explanation

Practice Powers and Roots - Basic

Test your knowledge with 26 quizzes

\( \sqrt{16}= \)

Examples with solutions for Powers and Roots - Basic

Step-by-step solutions included
Exercise #1

Choose the expression that is equal to the following:

27 2^7

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll focus on expressing the power 27 2^7 as a series of multiplications.

  • Step 1: Identify the given power expression 27 2^7 .
  • Step 2: Convert 27 2^7 into a product of repeated multiplication. This involves writing 2 multiplied by itself for a total of 7 times.
  • Step 3: The expanded form of 27 2^7 is 2Γ—2Γ—2Γ—2Γ—2Γ—2Γ—2 2 \times 2 \times 2 \times 2 \times 2 \times 2 \times 2 .

By comparing this expanded form with the provided choices, we see that the correct expression is:

2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2 2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2

Therefore, the solution to the problem is the expression that matches this expanded multiplication form, which is the choice 1:Β 2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2\text{1: } 2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2.

Answer:

2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2β‹…2 2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2

Video Solution
Exercise #2

Which of the following is equivalent to the expression below?

10,0001 10,000^1

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we will apply the rule of exponents:

  • Any number raised to the power of 1 remains unchanged. Therefore, by the identity property of exponents, 10,0001=10,000 10,000^1 = 10,000 .

Given the choices:

  • 10,000β‹…10,000 10,000 \cdot 10,000 : This is 10,0002 10,000^2 .
  • 10,000β‹…1 10,000 \cdot 1 : Simplifying this expression yields 10,000, which is equivalent to 10,0001 10,000^1 .
  • 10,000+10,000 10,000 + 10,000 : This results in 20,000, not equivalent to 10,0001 10,000^1 .
  • 10,000βˆ’10,000 10,000 - 10,000 : This results in 0, not equivalent to 10,0001 10,000^1 .

Therefore, the correct choice is 10,000β‹…1 10,000 \cdot 1 , which simplifies to 10,000, making it equivalent to 10,0001 10,000^1 .

Thus, the expression 10,0001 10,000^1 is equivalent to:

10,000β‹…1 10,000 \cdot 1

Answer:

10,000β‹…1 10,000\cdot1

Video Solution
Exercise #3

64= \sqrt{64}=

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Recognize what finding a square root means
  • Step 2: List known perfect squares to identify which one results in 64
  • Step 3: Verify the square root by calculation

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: To find the square root of 64, we seek a number that, when multiplied by itself, equals 64.
Step 2: Consider the sequence of perfect squares: 12=1 1^2 = 1 , 22=4 2^2 = 4 , 32=9 3^2 = 9 , 42=16 4^2 = 16 , 52=25 5^2 = 25 , 62=36 6^2 = 36 , 72=49 7^2 = 49 , 82=64 8^2 = 64 .
Step 3: We see that 82=64 8^2 = 64 . Therefore, the square root of 64 is 8.

Therefore, the solution to this problem is 8 8 .

Answer:

8

Video Solution
Exercise #4

36= \sqrt{36}=

Step-by-Step Solution

Let's solve the problem step by step:

  • Step 1: Understand what the square root means.
  • The square root of a number nn is a value that, when multiplied by itself, equals nn. This is written as x=nx = \sqrt{n}.

  • Step 2: Apply this definition to the number 3636.
  • We are looking for a number xx such that x2=36x^2 = 36. This translates to finding x=36x = \sqrt{36}.

  • Step 3: Determine the correct number.
  • We know that 6Γ—6=366 \times 6 = 36. Therefore, the principal square root of 3636 is 66.

Thus, the solution to the problem is 36=6 \sqrt{36} = 6 .

Among the given choices, the correct one is: Choice 1: 66.

Answer:

6

Video Solution
Exercise #5

112= 11^2=

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Set up the multiplication as 11Γ—11 11 \times 11 .
  • Step 2: Compute the product using basic arithmetic.
  • Step 3: Compare the result with the provided multiple-choice answers to identify the correct one.

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: We begin with the calculation 11Γ—11 11 \times 11 .
Step 2: Perform the multiplication:

  1. Multiply the units digits: 1Γ—1=1 1 \times 1 = 1 .
  2. Next, for the tens digits: 11Γ—10=110 11 \times 10 = 110 .
  3. Add the results: 110+1=111 110 + 1 = 111 . This doesn't seem right, so let's break it down further.

Let's examine a more structured multiplication method:

Multiply 11 11 by 1 1 (last digit of the second 11), we get 11.
Multiply 11 11 by 10 10 (tens place of the second 11), we get 110.

If we align correctly and add the partial products:

11
+ 110
------------
121

Step 3: The correct multiplication yields the final result as 121 121 . Upon reviewing the provided choices, the correct answer is choice 4: 121 121 .

Therefore, the solution to the problem is 121 121 .

Answer:

121

Video Solution

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an exponent and a root?

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An exponent tells you how many times to multiply a number by itself (like 4Β² = 4Γ—4 = 16), while a root is the inverse operation that finds which number multiplied by itself gives the result (like √16 = 4).

How do you solve 5Β³ step by step?

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To solve 5Β³: 1) Identify the base (5) and exponent (3), 2) Multiply 5 by itself 3 times: 5Γ—5Γ—5, 3) Calculate: 5Γ—5 = 25, then 25Γ—5 = 125. So 5Β³ = 125.

Why does any number to the power of 0 equal 1?

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This is a mathematical rule that ensures consistency in exponent operations. Whether it's 2⁰, 7⁰, or 4,675⁰, they all equal 1. This rule helps maintain logical patterns when working with exponent laws.

What does √25 equal and how do you find it?

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√25 = 5 because 5Γ—5 = 25. To find any square root, ask yourself: 'What number multiplied by itself gives me the number under the radical sign?' The square root is always positive.

Can you take the square root of a negative number?

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No, you cannot take the square root of a negative number in basic mathematics. Square roots always produce positive results or zero, never negative numbers.

What are the most common exponent mistakes students make?

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Common mistakes include: β€’ Confusing base and exponent positions β€’ Adding instead of multiplying (like thinking 2Β³ = 6 instead of 8) β€’ Forgetting that xΒΉ = x β€’ Not remembering that x⁰ = 1

How do exponents and roots relate to each other?

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Exponents and roots are inverse operations. If 4² = 16, then √16 = 4. A square root is equivalent to raising a number to the power of 0.5, so √a = a^0.5.

When do I calculate exponents and roots in the order of operations?

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Exponents and roots have high priority in order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS). Calculate them right after parentheses/brackets but before multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction.

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