Exponents & Roots

In algebra, exponents are used to denote repeated multiplication of the same thing. For example, the expression 5^3 would read as "5 to the third power" or "5 cubed". This simply means 5*5*5. In the same vein, roots are used to denote the inverse of exponents. So the expression 3^(1/2) would read as "the square root of 3" or "the one-half power of 3". This means that 3^(1/2) = the number that when multiplied by itself yields 3. In other words, the square root of 3 is the number that when multiplied by itself equals 3.

Roots are the inverse of exponents. Learning roots and exponents are inverse operations of each other, so it is important to understand both concepts. A root can be thought of as a number that when multiplied by itself a certain number of times, will equal another number. For example, the square root of 64 is 8 because 8 multiplied by itself 2 times is 64: 8^2 = 64. In this equation, the quantity "8" is called the square root of 64 because it is equal to the number 64 when multiplied by itself 2 times.

Learning exponents and roots can help students understand and solve equations with variables. Additionally, it can help students to graph linear equations. Inverse operations can be used to simplify equations by solving for one variable in terms of another.