13.1 Powers and Exponents Notes
• Power: Used to represent multiplying a number by
itself.
27 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2
• The power 27 can be read as:
• “two to the seventh power”
• “the seventh power of two”
• “two raised to the seventh power”
• Powers have a base and an exponent
• Exponent: the number of times that you multiply
the base.
• Base: the number(s) or letter(s) that would be
multiplied repeatedly.
• If a negative is inside the parentheses, then include it
in the base.
• If a negative is outside the parentheses or there are
no parentheses the negative is not included in the
base. Add the negative at the end after you find the
answer or put the power in expanded notation.