Year 8 Laws of Indices

Dr J Frost (jfrost@tiffin.kingston.sch.uk)

Last modified: 29th August 2015

Terminology Recap

!
“Power” or “index”
?
(plural: “indices”) or
“Base”
? “exponent”

3 4
! We say this as “3 to the power of 4” or “3
raised to the power of 4” or “3 to the 4”.

The whole expression is sometimes (confusingly)

referred to as a ‘power’ or ‘power expression’.
Multiplying Power Expressions with the Same Base

3 ×3 5 4
How would I write this multiplication out in full?
Therefore, how could I write the result of this multiplication
in the form 3k?

3 9 ?
1st Law of Indices

a ×a =a
b c b+c
?
Dividing power expressions with the same base

4 7

4 2
How would I write this multiplication out in full?
Therefore, how could I write the result of this multiplication
in the form 4k?

4 5 ?
2nd Law of Indices

a b
= ab-c
?

a c
Raising a power to a power

(4 ) 2 3

How would I write this multiplication out in full?

Therefore, how could I write the result of this multiplication
in the form 4k?

4 6 ?
3rd Law of Indices

(a ) = ab c bc
?
Zero and negative indices
Is there a pattern we can
see that will help us out?

33 = 27
3 0
3 -1
32 = 9
At this point, it doesn’t 31 = 3
make sense to say “Multiply
3 by itself negative 1 times”. 3 = 1?
0

We’ll have to use a different

1?
approach! 3 = -1
3
1
3 = -2
?
9
Final Laws of Indices

!
a =a1

a =1
0

1
a = -b
ab
Mastermind
Occupation: Student
Favourite Teacher: Dr Frost
Specialist Subject: Laws of
Indices
Instructions: Everyone starts by standing up. You’ll
get a question with a time limit to answer. If you run
out of time or get the question wrong, you sit down.
The winner is the last man standing.
Warm 3 Start
× 24 = 2>?7
2 Question (2 3Start
) =
4
2 ?12
up: Question >
26 Start?3
= 2
2Question >
3
a b c
Start Start 10 911 Start?9
7
× 43 = 4>?10
4 Question (3Question
) = 3? >
5 2 = 9
9Question >
2

d e f
5 Start4
7
Start Start 18
= 5? 4
× 76 = 7?>10
7 Question (4 ) = 4?>
6 3
5Question >
3 Question

g h
Start Start
_1_
(2 )
2 2
= 2
?
Question >
4
2-1 ?>
Question
2
=
a b c
Start Start -6 10 Start? 3
7
× 7-2 = >7? 5
7 Question (5Question
) = 5?>
3 -2 = 10 >
5Question

d e f 10
87 Start?9 Start 2 Start
_1_
= 8 -2
× 84 = >8?2
8 Question 2 =-3 ?
8Question >
-2 Question
8>

g h
Start Start
_1_
5 0
= ?
1
Question > 4 = 16? >
-2
Question
a b c
Start Start 9-2 Start0?
-2
× 4-2 =>?4-4
4Question (3 ) = 3?>4
-2 -2
Question -2 = 9 =
Question >
9
1
d e f
10 Start 4
1
Start Start
-3= 10
? >
Question
4
× 16 = ?>110
1Question Question >
10
=1 INSTANT DEATH

g h
Start Question
_1_ Start
_1_
(5 ) =5
-3 2
>
-6?
5 6 3-3
=
Question ?>
27
=
a b c
0 Start Start 50 Start?2
5 = 1 ? (3Question
) = 1? >
0 2
-2 = 5 >
Question
Question > 5
d e f
51 xStart
52 x 53 Start Start
Question × 26)2 => ?
(2Question
4
((4 ) )
1 2 3
= ?46
= ?56 > Question >
220
g h
Start Start
_1_
3
× 23)3 => ?
(2Question 3 = 81? >
-4
Question
218
a b c
47 ×Start
43 = 4?8 (35Start
)4 = 3?17 (73Start
)3 = 7?3
Question > Question > Question >
4 2
3 3
(7 )
2 3

d e f
58 ×Start
58 =? ((32Start
)2)2= 3?6 (71)Start
3
×7 =
4 ?
Question
-1 > Question > Question >
5 × 5 516
1
3 2
(7 ) 75
2 1
 Challenges
1
What is half of ? 2 What is a ninth of
𝟕 𝟕 ? 𝟗𝟗 𝟗𝟗
𝟐 𝟐 𝟔 𝟑 𝟑 𝟗𝟕
= ?𝟏 =𝟐 = ? 𝟐 =𝟑
𝟐 𝟐 𝟗 𝟑

3 What is a 4 What is the square

quarter of ? root of ?
𝒙 𝒙
𝟒 𝟒 𝟒𝟐
= 𝟏? =𝟒
𝒙 −𝟏 𝟒
? (𝟑
𝟑 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 ) =𝟑𝟖
𝟒 𝟒
5 What is x?
The LHS is .
So?
Exercise 1 Please ensure you write out the question.

1 Simplify the following. 3 Evaluate the following (i.e. give as a N1 Solve

a) ? fraction or integer with no power)
b) ? a) ?
c) ? b) ?
d) ? c) ? Given that ,
e) ? d) ? N2 express as a
single power of 4.
f) ? e) ?
g)
? f) ?
g)
?
i)
? ?
? 4 Simplify the following.
?
2 Simplify the following. a) ?
a)
?
b) ?
b) c) ?
c) ?
d) ?
?
Changes of Base
Solve the following equation. Express as a single power.

10 𝑥 𝑥 𝑥+1
9 =3
(Hint: can we express 9 as a power of 3
4 ×8
perhaps?)

2 10? 𝟐𝒙 𝟑 𝒙+𝟏
(3 ) =3 ( 𝟐 ) × ( 𝟐 ) 𝑥 ?

The strategy therefore is to find what both bases are a power of (e.g. 4 and 8
are both powers of 2), and replace them as such.
A few more examples…

Solve Solve
𝑥+1 3 𝑥+1 𝑥
4 =8 125 = 25
𝟐 𝒙+𝟏? 𝟑𝟑
( 𝟐 ) =( 𝟐 ) ( 𝟓 ) =( 𝟓 ) 𝟑 𝒙+𝟏 ? 𝟐𝒙

Express as a single power of 3:

?
Test Your Understanding

2 =48 x
27 = 9 4 x

x = 4? x = 6?

8 =4 x 12
3 = 27
x 100

x = 8? x = 300
?

Express as a single power: Express as a single power:

𝒙 𝒙 −𝟏 𝟒?𝒙 −𝟑 𝟏𝟎 𝒙 𝟐𝟎+𝟑 𝒙
𝟑 ×𝟐𝟕 =𝟑 𝟒 ×𝟖 =𝟐 ?
Exercise 2 Please ensure you write out the question.

Solve the following. Express as a single power.

𝑥 10
?

𝑥 3 𝟐𝒙+𝟑
1 12 ?

2 =4 𝒙=𝟐𝟎 4 ×2 =𝟐
2 ? 13 ?
3 ?
4 ?
14
?
5 ? 15 ?
6
? N ?
Solve the following.
?

𝑥+1 𝑥−1
7

9 =27 𝒙=𝟓
8 ?
9 ?
10 ?
11 ?