Exponents

Monday, October 08, 2012 10:20 AM

Post your work in your blog with the following:

Title: Exponents Discovery Wiki Tags: williamsp1, exponentswiki

Part 1: Powers of Constants

Go to the following site to explore exponents where the base is a constant (number).

Use the scroll bar under the problem to see what happens as you multiply groups of 2 by clicking PLAY (the forward arrow).

Next, click on the Components button at the top. Drag the two circles that say DRAG and read the text in blue above the example. Next, click on the forward arrow on the scroll bar to go to the next problem.

Introduction to Exponents Page 1

Continue dragging any blue Drag circles, clicking on the forward arrow and reading the information in blue at the top until this section is complete. In the next component, click on the two Drag circles, one at a time and note what happens.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

In your blog, type a paragraph explaining what you have learned. What is a base? What is a power? What does a base and power (exponent) tell you to do? What is a power a shortcut to? How could you use geometry to describe squaring or cubing a number?

A base is the number that you are multiplying however many times the exponent says to. For example the base number in 6^2 is 6. A power is the base and the exponent combined. The base and the exponent tell
Introduction to Exponents Page 2

base number in 6^2 is 6. A power is the base and the exponent combined. The base and the exponent tell you to multiply x (base) by itself however many times the exponent is. For example, 6^3. This power is telling you to multiply six (by itself), three times. So, you would do 6 x 6 x 6. A power is a shortcut to multiplication. For example, if you had 7^6, instead of writing 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7, you just write 7^6. You can use geometry to describe cubing or squaring a number because in geometry if you take the base and multiply it by itself (squaring), you get the area of a square and then if you take that number and multiply it by itself again, you will get the volume of a cube.

Part 2: Negative and Positive Powers

Complete the following in One Note in the Introduction to Exponents Section in your Exponents Unit. Call the page "Exponent Wiki Activity Part 2". Suppose you are working with a base of 2. In One Note, determine what happens to 2 when you have 2^1, 2^2, 2^3, and 2^4. Show what each one means and what each one equals. Look at the answers for each of these. Copy the table below into One Note.

Base 2

Exponent Meaning 4 3

Value

2x2x2x2 2x2x2

16 8

2 2 2 1 2 0 2 -1 2 -2 2 -3 2 -4 2

2x2

2x1

2/2

1/2 x 1

0.5

1/2 x 1/2

0.25

1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2

0.125

1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 0.0625

Fill in the powers of 1, 2, 3, and 4 with the information you just found. Copy, paste and answer the questions below into your One Note page. Start with 2 to the first power. As you increase the exponent, what is operation happening to the base? As you increase the exponent, it is being multiplied again and again. Starting with the exponent of 4, as you decrease each exponent, what operation is happening to the base?
Introduction to Exponents Page 3

Starting with the exponent of 4, as you decrease each exponent, what operation is happening to the base? As you decrease each exponent, the operation that is happening is division. Now, decrease the exponent from 1 to 0 and using the pattern you have discovered, determine the value of 2 to the 0 power and fill in the table. Any number to the power of zero is always 1. The base is divided by itself, so no matter what number it is, it will always be 1. Continue with this pattern to fill out the rest of the table. Double check your table. Does the pattern work from 2^-4 to 2^4 as the exponent increases each time? Does the pattern work from 2^4 to 2^-4 as the exponent increases each time?
Part 3: Powers of Variables

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.

Use constants to help you think through what happens with variables in the following list of questions. What do you get when you add x by x? 2 + 2 = 2x What do you get when you subtract x by x? x - x = 0 What do you get when you multiply x by x? x x = x^2 What do you get when you divide x by x? x / x = 1 What do you get when you multiply x by x by x? x x x = x^3 What about x by x by x by x by x? x x x x x = x^5 What do you get when you multiply x^2 by x? x x x = x^3 What about x^2 by x^3? x x x x x = x^5 What about x^4 by x^6? x x x x x x x x x x = x^10 Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you multiply same bases. When you multiply same bases, you will always get its squared number. What do you get when you divide x by x? x / x = 1 What do you get when you multiply x^2 by x? x x x = x^3 What about x^4 by x^2 ( x x x x ) ( x x ) = x^6 What do you get when you divide x^5 by x^3? ( x x x x x ) / ( x x x ) = x^2 What about x^6 by x? ( x x x x x x ) / x = x^5 Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you divide same bases. When you divide same bases, you keep the same base and subtract the smallest exponent to the biggest exponent. What do you get when you square x^3? x^3 2 = x^6 What do you get when you square x^4? x^4 2= x^8 What do you get when you cube x^2? x^2 x^2 x^2 = x^8 What do you get when you raise x^3 to the fourth power? x^3 x^3 x^3 x^3 = x^81 What do you get when you raise x^2 to the fifth power? x^2 x^2 x^2 x^2 x^2= x^32 Come up with a rule that explains what happens when you raise a base with an exponent by an exponent. What happens when you raise a base with an exponent by an exponent is that you add the two exponents together and you do the problem (and keep the base).

Introduction to Exponents Page 4