Exponent Laws - Part 1

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Lesson Objective
This lesson shows you the basics behind the first three exponent laws. You'll learn how these laws are actually formulated...
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About This Lesson
Let's say you need to find out the result (in the form of 2???) of the multiplication of the numbers below:

                21000 x 21007

Now, if you try to solve it by calculating the actual value of 21000 or 21007, you will soon realize that it is very difficult to do so.

Fortunately, with the help of the first exponent law, you will quickly know that:

       21000 x 21007 = 21000 + 1007
                          = 22007
 
This lesson shows you the basics behind the first three exponent laws. It is good to understand these laws first before using them.
             
First three exponent laws to demonstrate

Study Tips

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Tip #1
Definition of exponent and base
When you are given a term with a form of am,
it is defined that:

                    a  is the base
                    m is the exponent

For example, consider the term 25, referring to the definition above:

                    2 is the base
                    5 is the exponent

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Tip #2
It is very important to understand how the exponents laws are formulated. Once you fully understood them, it's easier to avoid mistakes when applying these laws.

For example, usually those who don't understand the logic behind these laws will tend to make this mistake:

                     23 x 22 = 23 x 2 (wrong application of the first law)
                               = 26
                               = 64     (oops!!...mistake)

When you use your calculator to check, you will find out that actually:
                    
                     23 x 22 = 8 x 4
                               = 32     (correct!)

So, do realize the consequences for applying the exponent laws without  understanding them.
Now, watch the following math video to know more.

Math Video

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Click play to watch video
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Math Video Transcript

Practice Questions & More

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Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
Now, let's try some MCQ questions to understand this lesson better.

You can start by going through the series of questions on exponent laws or pick your choice of question below.
  1. Question 1 on the basics of the first three exponent laws
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More Lessons
Here are more lessons that you might be interested:
  1. Lesson on the next three laws
  2. Examples on using these laws