Exponents

Ten to Any Power

This tip can save you a lot of time: Ten to any power is simply the number 1 followed by a number of zeros indicated by the exponent. An example is shown below.

10⁵
100,000

Note that the result is a one followed by five zeros because the exponent on 10 was 5.

Reading Exponents

In general, a problem such as

5¹⁰

is read as "Five to the tenth power."

Special Cases for Reading Exponents

Certain exponents have special ways of being pronounced. These make it a little easier to say, but it is not necessary that you use them.

• The Second Power: 3² - may be read as either "Three to the second power," or "Three squared."
• The Third Power: 10³ - may be read as either "Ten to the third power," or "10 cubed."

The next page lists some resources for exponents.