Introduction to Exponentiation

By Atina Lee

Introduction

So, what is exponentiation exactly? Exponentiation in mathematics is actually an operation of repeated multiplication. The operation consists of a base and the exponent (or the power). The exponent indicates the number of times the base is multiplied by itself. For example, 22 is equal to 2 ✕ 2 which is equivalent to 4.

Rules of Exponentiation

In exponentiation, there are actually quite a few rules to memorize and learn. As you begin to come across more exponents, the rules will become more helpful as you solve problems. Down below are the rules of exponentiation.

Relationship to Logarithms

Logarithms are inverses of exponentiation functions. Introduced in Algebra, logarithms are written as logax = y which is equivalent to ay = x which shows their relationship to exponents.