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CLASS 8th ICSE (MATHEMATICS)

EXPONENTS AND POWERS Class Notes

INTRODUCTION

⮚ 5 × 5 × 5 can be written as 53.

⮚ read as ‘five raised to the power of three’.

⮚ In 53, the number 5 is called the base and 3 is called the exponent or the index or the power.

⮚ Similarly,

⮚ Hence, if a is any rational number, then

a × a × a × …. m times = am. Here, a is called the base and m is called the exponent.
LAWS OF EXPONENTS
There are certain laws that govern the operations in numbers which are expressed in the exponential notation.
Positive Exponents
m m+n
x x x x
Law-I If is a non zero rational number and m and n are positive integers, then     =  
y  y  y  y
2 3 2 +3 5
 2  2  2 2  2 2 2  2  2
For Example,      =         =   = 
 3  3  3 3  3 3 3  3  3
m n m−n
x x x x
Law-II If is a non zero rational number and m and n are positive integers, then     =  
y  y  y  y
5 3 5−3 2
 4  4  4  4
For Example,      =   = 
5 5 5 5
n
x  x m   x mn  x mn
Law-III is a non zero rational number and m and n are positive integers, then    =   =  
y  y    y   y

For Example, (22) = 22 × 3 = 26

m
x x xm
Law-IV If is nay non zero rational number and m is any positive intergern, then   = m .
y y y
3
 2 2 2 2 2
3
For Example,   =   = 3
7 7 7 7 7

x a
Law-V If and are any non zero rational numbers and m is any positive integer, then
y b
m m
x a  xa 
m

    =  .
 y b  yb 

 2   7   2  7   14 
3 3 3 3

For Example,      =   = 
 3   5   3  5   15 
Law-VI
0
x x x
• If The Zero Exponent: If is a rational number and  0 , then   = 1.
y y y
−1
x x
• The Negative Exponent: If is a non zero rational number, then   denotes the reciprocal of . We
y y
−1
x y x y
Reciprocal of is .Therefore   = .
y x  y x
−3 3
2 3
For Example,   =  
3 2
Law-VII
a is any non zero rational numbers and m and n are any positive integers.
1 m
n
a = a n and n a m = a n
1
e.g. 5 =5 2

7 2 4
6
57 = 56 3
a 2  b4 = a 3  b 3 , etc.

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