Exponents Lessons

Before we dive into simplifying exponents, let's take some time to learn exactly what an exponent is. An exponent is a superscript, or small number written at the top right corner of a number, variable, or set of parentheses. An example of one is shown below.

2³

This tells you to multiply 1 by the number as many times as the exponent says. The example above is 2 raised to the third power (raised to the third power means the exponent is 3). This is equivalent to the multiplication problem below, because there is a 1 multiplied by 2 three times.

1 * 2 * 2 * 2
8

As you can see, the 1 * 2 * 2 * 2 can be simplified to 8 which is the answer to the problem. The next page will walk through another example.