please help me, i have no clue what exponents are, help please....?!?

Question

homework, ignore--in the 6th grade--!

Answer 1

Exponents specify how many times a number is multiplied by itself. The exponent is usually signified by one number raised after another.
eg.
3² = 3 x 3 = 9
3³ = 3 x 3 x 3 = 27

A general example of exponential numbers looks like this.
Xⁿ = Y
You would multiply X by itself ⁿ times to find Y. Unfortunately, there is no convenient way to write out exponential numbers in most text programs. The alternative syntax typically used to specify an exponent is to use a carat, ^. It's the number above the "6" on your keyboard.
eg.
3^2 = 3² = 3 x 3 = 9
3^3 = 3³ = 3 x 3 x 3 = 27

Answer 2

For example, 4x4 can be expressed as 4^(2) where the ^ means exponent. Another example is 2^4 = 2x2x2x2 = 16. So, like a previous answer stated, think about the exponent as a numebr multiplied by itself n times (n is the exponent). Things gets trickier when the exponent is a negative number...think about that one as a fraction. For example 2^(-2)= 1/2x1/2 = 1/4 or (1/2)^2.
Hope this helps.

Answer 3

It's like times tables, except you times the number by itself.

Ex.
5 to the second power is 5 x5 (or 5 squared)
5 to the third would be 5x5x5 (or 5 cubed
and it goes on and on.

On a calculator you use the "yx" key for exponents.
5 "yx" 3 is 5x5x5

In the problem 5 to the third power, the 5 is called the "base" and the 3 is called the "exponent".

Answer 4

exponents are just numbers that show how many times a number is multiplied by itself

so 5^3 would be 5 x 5 x5=125

4^2 is 4 x4=16

Answer 5

Exponents are the mathematician's shorthand.

2 x2 x 2 is the same as 2 to the 3rd power, since there are three 2's being multiplied together.



Likewise, 5x 5x 5x 5 = 5 to the 4th power,because there are four 5's being multiplied together.

Answer 6

Exponentiation is also known as raising the number a to the power n, or a to the nth power, and can also be defined for exponents that are not whole numbers. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exponent for more info.