Exponents

Here is some basic info you can refer to when dealing with exponents. Remember, an exponent is that teeny little number floating above and to the right of a number (the base):


This reads "two to the third power." Remember from our example in class, Aliens are VERY fussy about how their powers are used! :) When you see a number with an exponent like the one above, don't multiply the two numbers together, like this: 2 x 3. Your answer will be incorrect. Instead, the base number is multiplied by itself, and the power tells us how many times. The problem above would be solved by multiplying two by itself, three times:

2 x 2 x 2 = 8

And voila! The aliens are happy :)



Image credits:
wclipart.com
solving-math-problems.com