Strategy #11: Know how to Apply Exponent Rules

Category: Advanced Math

The core rules:

• xᵃ · xᵇ = xᵃ⁺ᵇ (same base, multiply → add exponents)

• xᵃ / xᵇ = xᵃ⁻ᵇ (same base, divide → subtract exponents)

• (xᵃ)ᵇ = xᵃᵇ (power of a power → multiply exponents)

• x⁰ = 1 (any nonzero base to the zero power = 1)

• x⁻ᵃ = 1/xᵃ (negative exponent → reciprocal)