Solve 5² minus 4¹: Basic Exponent Calculation

Solve the following exercise and circle the correct answer:

$5^2-4^1=$

To solve the exercise $5^2-4^1=$, we need to follow the order of operations, specifically focusing on powers (exponents) before performing subtraction.

• Step 1: Calculate $5^2$. This means we multiply 5 by itself: $5 \times 5 = 25$.

• Step 2: Calculate $4^1$. Any number to the power of 1 is itself, so $4^1 = 4$.

• Step 3: Subtract the result of $4^1$ from $5^2$: $25 - 4$.

• Step 4: Complete the subtraction: $25 - 4 = 21$.

Thus, the correct answer is $21$.