Powers and Exponents Practice Problems with Solutions

Master powers and exponents with step-by-step practice problems. Learn base and exponent rules, multiplication properties, and special cases like zero and negative exponents.

📚What You'll Master in This Powers Practice Session
  • Calculate powers with positive integer exponents like 4³ and 5²
  • Apply the multiplication rule for same base exponents (a^m × a^n = a^(m+n))
  • Solve problems involving zero and negative exponents with confidence
  • Simplify expressions with multiple terms using exponent properties
  • Work with fractional bases and understand squared and cubed terminology
  • Apply order of operations (PEMDAS) when exponents are present

Understanding Powers

Complete explanation with examples

Exponents are a shorthand way of telling us that a number is multiplied by itself.
The number that is multiplied by itself is called the base. The base is the larger number on the left.
The smaller number on the right tells us how many times the number is multiplied by itself. It is called the exponent, or power.

We will usually read it as (base) to the power of (exponent), OR (base) to the (exponent) power.

For example, in the expression 434^3

4 is the base, while 3 is the exponent.
The exponent tells us the number of times the base is to be multiplied by itself.
In our example, 4 (the base) is multiplied by itself 3 times (the exponent): 4×4×4 4\times4\times4
We can call this 4 to the power of 3, or 4 to the third power.

Extra: Since the second and third powers are so common, we have special, short names for them - squared and cubed.

424^2 can be called simply 4 squared.

434^3 can be called simply 4 cubed.


Want to learn more? Check out our videos, examples and exercises on this topic!

Detailed explanation

Practice Powers

Test your knowledge with 16 quizzes

Find the value of n:

\( 6^n=6\cdot6\cdot6 \)?

Examples with solutions for Powers

Step-by-step solutions included
Exercise #1

62= 6^2=

Step-by-Step Solution

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

  • Step 1: Recognize that 62 6^2 means 6×6 6 \times 6 .
  • Step 2: Perform the multiplication of 6 by itself.

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: The expression 62 6^2 indicates we need to multiply 6 by itself.
Step 2: Calculating 6×6 6 \times 6 gives us 36.

Therefore, the value of 62 6^2 is 36.

Answer:

36

Video Solution
Exercise #2

112= 11^2=

Step-by-Step Solution

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

  • Step 1: Set up the multiplication as 11×11 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 11×11 11 \times 11 .
Step 2: Perform the multiplication:

  1. Multiply the units digits: 1×1=1 1 \times 1 = 1 .
  2. Next, for the tens digits: 11×10=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
Exercise #3

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 2×2×2×2×2×2×2 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:

2222222 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: 2222222\text{1: } 2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2.

Answer:

2222222 2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2

Video Solution
Exercise #4

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:

  • 10,00010,000 10,000 \cdot 10,000 : This is 10,0002 10,000^2 .
  • 10,0001 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 .
  • 10,00010,000 10,000 - 10,000 : This results in 0, not equivalent to 10,0001 10,000^1 .

Therefore, the correct choice is 10,0001 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:

10,0001 10,000 \cdot 1

Answer:

10,0001 10,000\cdot1

Video Solution
Exercise #5

x=2 \sqrt{x}=2

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve the problem, follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Begin with the equation x=2\sqrt{x} = 2.
  • Step 2: Square both sides of the equation to eliminate the square root.
  • Step 3: Simplify the resulting equation to find xx.

Now, let's proceed through each step:
Step 1: The given equation is x=2\sqrt{x} = 2.
Step 2: Square both sides: (x)2=22(\sqrt{x})^2 = 2^2.
Step 3: This simplifies to x=4x = 4.

Therefore, the value of xx that satisfies x=2\sqrt{x} = 2 is x=4 x = 4 .

Matching this solution with the provided choices, the correct answer is choice 3, which is 4.

Answer:

4

Video Solution

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between base and exponent in powers?

+
The base is the larger number that gets multiplied by itself, while the exponent (smaller number) tells you how many times to multiply the base by itself. In 4³, the base is 4 and the exponent is 3, meaning 4 × 4 × 4.

How do you multiply powers with the same base?

+
When multiplying powers with the same base, add the exponents together. For example: x⁵ × x³ = x^(5+3) = x⁸. This rule works because you're essentially combining all the multiplication operations.

What happens when you raise a number to the power of 0?

+
Any number (except zero) raised to the power of 0 equals 1. So 5⁰ = 1, 100⁰ = 1, and (-3)⁰ = 1. However, 0⁰ is undefined in mathematics.

Why is 4² called 'four squared' and 4³ called 'four cubed'?

+
These are special names for the second and third powers because they relate to geometry. 'Squared' refers to the area of a square (length × width), while 'cubed' refers to the volume of a cube (length × width × height).

How do you solve exponent problems with fractions as the base?

+
Apply the exponent to both the numerator and denominator separately. For (2/3)² = 2²/3² = 4/9. Remember that (a/b)ⁿ = aⁿ/bⁿ for any fraction raised to a power.

Where do exponents fit in the order of operations (PEMDAS)?

+
Exponents come second in PEMDAS, right after Parentheses and before Multiplication/Division. So you solve: 1) Parentheses, 2) Exponents, 3) Multiplication and Division, 4) Addition and Subtraction.

What are the most common mistakes students make with exponents?

+
Common mistakes include: multiplying the base by the exponent instead of using repeated multiplication (4³ ≠ 4×3), forgetting that x¹ = x, and incorrectly applying exponent rules when bases are different (2³ × 3² cannot be simplified to 6⁵).

How do you simplify expressions with multiple exponent terms?

+
First, apply exponent rules within each term, then combine like terms if possible. For example, in 2x³ × 3x², first multiply coefficients (2×3=6) and add exponents of like bases (x³⁺²=x⁵) to get 6x⁵.

More Powers Questions

Continue Your Math Journey

Practice by Question Type