Unit (1)

EXPONENTS

1.1 Exponents
Definition - 1 b × b × b × b × ---------- × b = bn
n factors

Example 22 = 2 × 2 = 4. 23 = 2 × 2 × 2 = 8

Definition - 2 b0 = 1 where b 0

(-b)0 = 1
-b0 = - 1
Example 20 = 1, 20 × 30 = 1× 1 = 1

Useful powers

20 = 1 30 = 1 40 = 1 70 = 1

21 = 2 31 = 3 41 = 4 71 = 7

22 = 4 32 = 9 4 2 = 16 7 2 = 49

23 = 8 33 = 27 4 3 = 64 7 3 = 343
24 = 16 34 = 81 50 = 1 80 = 1

25 = 32 35 = 243 51 = 5 81 = 8

26 = 64 36 = 729 5 2 = 25 8 2 = 64

27 = 128 37 = 2187 5 3 = 125 8 3 = 512

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28 = 256 38 = 6561 60 = 1 90 = 1

29 = 512 39 = 19683 61 = 6 91 = 9

2 10 = 1024 3 10 = 59049 6 2 = 36 9 2 = 81

6 3 = 216 9 3 = 729

Definition 3
1
b–n = where b  0
bn
n n
 a b
Note:   =  
 b a

1
b-1 =
b
1 1
Points to ponder -b-1 = - -b-2 = -
b b2
1 1 1 1
(-b)-1 = = - (-b)-2 = - 2 =
b b ( b) b2

Exercise 1.1
Simplify and give your answers with positive exponents.

x 1  y 1
0 -1 -1 -1
(1) ab (2) (a + b ) ab (3) 1 (4) a-1b-1 (a+b)
x  y 1
3 4 1
3  2  3  4 
(5)   (6)   (7)     (8) 2-1 + 2-1
2 5  4  3 
(9) 3 × 3-1 (10) a-1b-1 (11) (a+b)-1

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 LAWS OF EXPONENTS

Law 1 Law of multiplication

am . an = a m+n

Law 2 Law of division

am
a  a = n = am-n
m n
a

Law 3 Power of a Power

(am)n = amn

Exercise 1.2
Simplify
(1) ax × a (2) 23 × 2-3 (3) xl × xm (4) x2 (x3)2

x6 x n k x 2 k
(5) x4 × (x2)3 (6) (7) (8)
x 1 xnk x1k

1 1
(9) (xb)c (10) [ x-1 (x-1)-1]-1 (11) ab +
1 x 1  xba

a b b c c a
 xa   xb   xc 
(12)   .   .  
 xb   xc   xa 
     

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Law 4 Power of a product

(ab)n = an bn

(ax . by)n = anx . bny

Law 5 Power of a quotient

n
a an
  = n
b b

n
 ax  anx
  = ny
 by 
  b

Exercise 1.3
Simplify
(1) ( 2 × 3)2 (2) (3 × 5)3 (3) (ab)4 (4) (ab2)½

1 a 3
(5) (a3 . b3) 3 (6) (a2b4)½ (7) (a8 b4)½ (8) ( )
b

x 1 1
(9) ( )3 (10) ( )k (11) ( )2
y y xy

1 1 1
(12) (x y3) 3 (13) (x y6)½ (14) (4x4) 4 (15) (2 x2) 2

m
n
Law 6 n
a m = a

1
n
a = an

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 1 1
Law 6.1 n
ab = a n b n
1
a n
n
a
Law 6.2 = 1
b n
b

a a
Law 7 a . b  ab and 
b b

Law 8 a. a   a 2
a

Exercise 1.4
Simplify

(1) 3
x6 (2) 3
a9 (3) x2 (4) 3
a3 b6

3
a6 3
a12 3
27 3
64
(5) (6) (7) (8)
b9 27 8 125

4
1 4
4 2 3
a3
(9) (10) (11) (12)
16 x4 x2 b3
x6
(13) 3
y18
(14) a2 b4 (15) 3
27 a3

Exercise 1.5
1. Simplify the following.
(a) (-x4)3 (b) -3(x2)4 (c) 2 × 3
2
 3
( 2 )2 + ( 3 )2  
(d) (e)  2 (f) (- 3 )2 + (- 2 )2
 

5
 (a 4 )6 (-p4 )5
-1 4
(g) (h) (2a ) (i)
- a 3 x(  a 3 ) 9 - (p 5 )4

(-x 3 )-6  (y 2 ) -4 x(  z )5
(j)
( x  9 )2  y  8  (  z 2 )  3

(8a5b 4 ) (3a2b5 )3
(k)
(9ab 2 )(2ab)3

(ab2 )3 (a3b2 )2
(l) ×
(a 2b)4 (b3 )3

3 4 5 4
(x 2 ) 3 - (y 2 ) 5

(m) 3 2 5 2
(x 2 )3 - (y 2 )5

(n) [ { (2-1)-1}-1]-1

 xy  xy
(o)  1  + 1
 x 2  y 21  1
x2  y2
 

2. Express the following as a single index number with the smallest possible
base.

128
(a) 27 × 81 (b)
32

16
(c)  625 (d) (81)
81

48 1254
(e) (f)
84 496
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 81 3
(g) ( ) (h) 4 (25)3
36

2n3  22n
(i)
8n1

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3. Given that a = 2, b = -2 and c = - , Calculate the following.
2

(a) ab (b) ba (c) bca

a+b a a a b
a2  b2  c 2
(d) c (e) a (b -c ) (f) (ac) (g) 2
a  b2  c 2

4. Simplify

7a 4b3 a 2c 4
(a)  
24b10c 3 18b7c 4 21a2

( a )3  a 4
(b)
a  3  ( a 6 )

16a3b 4 4ab 2 27a x 1

(c)  
7 xy 4 21xy 3 9 ax 2

(a 3  a2 )4 2a 4  a5
(d) 
a2  a3 a2  a  6
 1 1  1 1
(e)  3    2 
x x x x

( 4ab3c )3
(f)
 16 a 4bc 5

15 x 3 (a  b )4
(g)
35 xy (a  b)2

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Exponential Equation
If am = an , then m = n where a 0 and a  1
Example Solve : 2x+1 = 1
Solution 2x+1 = 20
x+1 = 0
 x = -1

Exercise 1.6

Solve the following equations.

(1) 3x = 1 (2) 3x = 27 (3) 3x = 81
(4) 2x (2x) = 1 (5) 4x + 4x+1 = 20 (6) 5x+2 + 5x+1 = 150
x x2
x x 3 5
(7) 5×5 = 0.2 (8) 2 2 = 16 (9)   =  
5 3

(10) 22x-3 = 2x × 4x (11) x2 + 32 = 52 (12) x144 = 13

(13) 3y-2 = 5y-2 (14) 2a (2a)a = 1 (15) 4x - 9 × 2x + 8 = 0

1.2 The Standard Form

The standard form, also known as the scientific notation is written in the
form A × 10n where 1  A < 10 and n is an integer..

Worked Example 1

Express the following in ordinary notation.

(a) 5.82 × 103 (b) 72 × 10-2 (c) 0.023 × 10-4

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Solution
1
(a) 5.82 × 103 = 5.82 × 1000 (b) 72 × 10-2 = 72 ×
10 2
72
= 5820 =
10 2
72
= = 0.72
100
1
(b) 0.023 × 10-4 = 0.023 ×
10 4
0.023
=
10 4
0.023
= = 0.000 0023
10000

Worked Example 2
Rewrite the following in the form A × 10n , where 1  A < 10 and n is an integer..
(a) 182.3 (b) 0.0035
(c) 32 000 000 (correct to 2 significant figures)
(d) 32 000 000 (correct to 3 significant figures)

Solution
1
(a) 182.3 = 1.823 × 100 (b) 0.0035 = 3.5 ×
1000
1
= 1.823 × 102 = 3.5 ×
103
= 3.5 × 10-3

(c) 32 000 000 = 3.2 × 10 000 000 (d) 32 000 000 = 3.20 × 1 0 000 000
= 3.2 × 107 = 3.20 × 107

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Exercise 1.7
1. Rewrite the following in the form A × 10n , where 1  A < 10 and n is an integer..
(a) 123.1
(b) 0.012
(c) 0.0034
(d) 32.12
(e) 0.3001
(f) 3 400 000 000 (correct to 2 significant figures)
(g) 3 400 000 000 (correct to 3 significant figures)
(h) 3 400 000 000 (correct to 6 significant figures)

2. Express the following in standard form.

(a) 235 × 102 (b) 129 × 104 (c) 12.24 × 103
(d) 29.03 × 104 (e) 0.123 × 103 (f) 0.23 × 102
(g) 212 × 10-2 (h) 912 × 10-3 (i) 42.36 × 10-3
(j) 58.04 × 10-4 (k) 0.421×10-3 (l) 0.042 × 10-2

3. Multiply 6.32 × 104 by 7.71 × 10-3, giving your answer in the form A×10n
where 1  A < 10 and n is an integer. Give your answer correct to three
significant figures.

4. Express the following in standard form. Give the answers correct to three
significant figures.

12.4  103 308.4  103

(a) (b)
9  10  2 17  103

2.008  10 8 30.7  10 2  123  10 4

(c) (d)
4.02  10  6 4.23  10 3

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5. Evaluate the following and express the answers in standard form.
(a) 2.4 × 104 + 4 × 105 (b) 20.4 × 104 + 4 × 105
(c) 24.3 × 102 + 3 × 103 (d) 24.3 × 102 × 3 × 103
(e) 34.4 × 10-4 + 6 × 10-2 (f) 34.4 × 10-4 × 6 × 10-2
(g) 1.02 × 103 + 2.01 × 104 (h) 1.01 × 103 × 2.01 × 104
(i) 1.2 × 10-3 + 2.1× 10-4 (j) 1.2 × 10-3 × 2.1 × 10-4

Mental Test
Try to answer the following questions without writing anything down except
the answer.

1. Find the value of 23 .

2. Write 3-1 as a fraction.

3. Remove the brackets from (3a2)2.

4. Simplify a2 × a4 .

5. Write a5  a3 as a single term.

6. Simplify a2 × a3 × a5 .
3
 a2 
7. Remove the brackets from   .
 b 
8. Find the value of 22 × 23 .

9. Write 8000 in standard form.

10. Write 0.003 in standard form.

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