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Module 1: Basic Concepts - Expnonents - Answers
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#1
- What is the exponent in the mathematical expression 103?
- Answer: The exponent in the mathematical expression,103,
is 3. The base is 10. Exponential notation takes the form, Bx,
where B is the base and x is the exponent. In the expression, Bx,
the number represented by B is raised to the "x" power. The
exponent is a real number that can be positive or negative.
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#2
- What does the notation 63 mean?
- Answer: The notation 63 means 6
6
6 or 216. The exponent, 3, tells you to multiply the base number, 6,
times itself 3 times. In general terms, Bx, means
to multiply the base number B times itself "x" times.
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#3
- What does the notation 6-3 mean?
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- Answer: The notation 6-3 means 1/6
1/6
1/6 or 0.00463. A negative exponent means to take the inverse of the
base number. The exponent, -3, tells us to take the inverse of the base
number, 6, which is 1/6, and to multiply that number times itself 3
times.
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