Common Exponents
The terms exponents (or indexes) and 'powers' refer to the same thing.
We often encounter a power of $$2 when measuring area. Consider, for example, the area of a square which is given by side length times side length. A number $$x with an index of $$2 is often read as $$x to the power of $$2 (or $$x squared). You can express this as $$x2.
$$x to the power of $$3 is also known as $$x cubed which can be expressed as $$x3. A power of $$3 is involved in calculations like measuring the volume of a cube.
When we talk about exponents, it is important to remember the difference between the index and the base.
For example, in $$103, $$10 is the base number and $$3 is the index number:
Hint: Think of the 'base' as that being closest to the ground, and the index is 'in' the air.
Examples
Question 1
State the base for the expression $$32.
Question 2
Identify the power for the expression $$46.
$$6
A$$4
B
Question 3
Write an expression for:
"$$y raised to the power of $$8."