Indices [Exponents] – Summary Notes

INTRODUCTION
If m is a positive integer, then a  a  a  a..... upto m terms, is written as a m ; where ‘a’ is called
the base and ‘m’ is called the power (or exponent or index).
a m is read as ‘a power m’ or ‘a raised to the power m’.
Thus: (i) a  a  a  .... upto 10 terms  a10 [a raised to the power 10]
(ii) 2  2  2  .... upto 7 terms  27 [2 raised to the power 7] and so on.

LAWS OF INDICES
1st Law (Product Law): am  an  amn
e.g. (i) a7  a4  a74  a11 (ii) a3  a6  a36  a3 and so on.
am
2nd Law (Quotient Law): n
 a mn
a
a7 a3
e.g. (i)  a 74  a3 (ii)  a36  a 3 and so on.
a4 a6
3rd Law (Power Law):  a m   a mn
n

e.g. (i)  a 3   a12 (ii)  a 2   a 10 and so on.

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HANDLING POSITIVE, FRACTIONAL, NEGATIVE AND ZERO INDICES

m
a am
 a  b  a m  b m and    m
m
1.
b b
5
2 2
5
e.g. (i)  2  3  2  3 (ii)    5 and so on.
5 5 5

3 3
2. If a  0 and n is a positive integer, then n
a  a1/n
e.g. 3
a  a1/3 ; 4 a  a1/4 ; 8 a  a1/8 and so on.
Also, a  a1/2 i.e., 2  21/2 , 10  101/2 and so on.
m

3. a  n a m ; where a  0 .
n

4 2
e.g. a  a ; 5  3 52 and so on.
5 5 4 3

Conversely: n
am  am/ n i.e., 3
a5  a5/3 , 5 38  38/5 and so on.

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4. For any non-zero number a.
1 1
a n   n and a  n  n
a a
1 1 1
e.g. a 7  7 ; a 3  3 ; a 4  4 and so on.
a a a
5. Any non-zero number raised to the power zero is always equal to unity (i.e. 1).
e.g. a 0  1; 50  1; 20  1 and so on.
 a   a m ; if m is an even number.
m

 a   a m ; if m an odd number.
m

e.g.  2   24 ;  2   25
4 5
and so on.

SIMPLIFICATION OF EXPRESSIONS

USING LAWS OF EXPONENTS

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