The laws of indices - negative and zero exponents
I can use the laws of indices with negative and zero exponents.
The laws of indices - negative and zero exponents
I can use the laws of indices with negative and zero exponents.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- A calculator can be helpful to explore what happens when the exponent is zero or negative.
- Any term with an exponent of zero is equal to one.
- A negative exponent tells you how many times you need to multiply the reciprocal of the base.
- Negative exponents appear when writing very small numbers in standard form.
Keywords
Reciprocal - A reciprocal is the multiplicative inverse of any non-zero number. Any non-zero number multiplied by its reciprocal is equal to 1
Indices - An exponent is a number positioned above and to the right of a base value. It indicates repeated multiplication. An alternative word for this is index (plural indices).
Common misconception
Any number with an index of 0 equates to 0
Reiterate the division of any number by itself is 1. This applies with laws of indices too. E.g 8^4 / 8^4 = 8^0. Any number divided by itself gives 1, therefore 8^0 = 1. For more advanced understanding, algebraic can be used instead of numbers.
To help you plan your year 10 maths lesson on: The laws of indices - negative and zero exponents, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 maths lesson on: The laws of indices - negative and zero exponents, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
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