Unit - 13

ILBC

International Language & Business Centre Mathematics

Primary Five
Issued by Maths Department

EXPONENT AND BASE

Example
21 = 2
2×2 = 22
2×2×2 = 23
2×2×2×2 = 24

Example
Write down the values of the following.
(a) 25 (b) 33 (c) 43 (d) 54 (e) 63

Solution
(a) 25 = 2×2×2×2×2 = 32
(b) 33 = 3×3×3 = 27
(c) 43 = 4×4×4 = 64
(d) 54 = 5×5×5×5 = 625

Exercise (13.1)
1. Find the values of each of the following.
(a) 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 210
(b) 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 and 310
(c) 42, 43, 44
(d) 52, 53, 54
(e) 62, 63, 64
(f) 72, 73
(g) 82, 83
(h) 92, 93
(i) 102, 103, 104, 105 and 106

146 Unit 13
Exponent and Base
 ILBC

International Language & Business Centre

Mathematics
Primary Five
Issued by Maths Department

2. Evaluate each of the following.

2 2 2
⎛ 1⎞ ⎛ 1⎞ ⎛ 1⎞
(a) ⎜ ⎟ (b) ⎜ ⎟ (c) ⎜ ⎟
⎝2⎠ ⎝ 3⎠ ⎝ 4⎠
2 4
⎛ 1⎞ ⎛1⎞ + 1
(d) ⎜ ⎟ (e) ⎜ ⎟
⎝ 5⎠ ⎝2⎠ 23

13.1 Two Basic Definitions of Exponent

Definition (1)
Any base raised to the power of zero is equal to one, but the base
itself is not zero.

a0 = 1 ( a ≠ 0)

Examples
20 = 1
30 + 40 = 1+1 =2
50 + 7 + 80 = 1+7+1= 9
(2+3)0 = 50 = 1
–20 = –1
(–2)0 = 1
0
⎛2⎞
⎜ ⎟ = 1
⎝ 3⎠

Exercises (13.2)
1. Evaluate

(a) (20 + 30) × 50 × 6

70
(b)
80 + 90

Unit 13 147
Exponent and Base
 ILBC

International Language & Business Centre Mathematics

Primary Five
Issued by Maths Department

2. Simplify the following.

30
(a) 20 + (b) 20 × 3 + 2 × 30
4 0 + 50

Definition (2)
A negative exponent of a base is the reciprocal of the base in which
the base is not zero.

i.e. a−1 = 1 ( a ≠ 0)
a
Example
a− 2 = 12
a
1 1
2–3 = 3 =
2 8

Exercises (13.3)
1. Simplify the following expressions.
(a) 2–1 + 2–1
(b) 3–1 + 3–1 + 3–1
(c) 2–1 × 3–1 + 3–1
(d) 2–1 × 4–1 + 4–1 × 2–1
(e) 3–5 + 3–4
(f) 2–1 × 20
(g) 2–1 + 20
(h) 3–1 × 3 + 30 × 5

148 Unit 13
Exponent and Base
 ILBC

International Language & Business Centre

Mathematics
Primary Five
Issued by Maths Department

13.2 Decimal System

Digit
In the decimal system there are ten digits which are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8 and 9.

Positional Coefficients

In the decimal system the units are grouped in “10” s and powers of
“10”. These powers of tens are positional coeficients which show the
location of a digit in a number.
The decimal system is also known as base 10 system.
In this system positional coefficients are :
... 104, 103, 102, 101, 100 (unit)

104 103 102 101 100

Ten 1000 100 10 1
Thousands Thousands Hundreds Tens Units
Tth Th H T U

Place Value
The product of a digit and its positional coefficient is the place value.

Example
Digit = 7
place = Hundreds
Place Value = 100 × 7 = 700

Unit 13 149
Exponent and Base
 ILBC

International Language & Business Centre Mathematics

Primary Five
Issued by Maths Department

Number
A number is the sum of place values.

Example
Units digit = 3
Tens digit = 5
Hundreds digit = 7
∴ The number = 7 × 102 + 5 × 101 + 3 × 1
= 700 + 50 + 3
= 753 ⇐

Exercise (13.4)
Form the numbers with the given digits.
1. Units digit = 0, Hundreds digit = 5, Thousands digit = 7
2. U = 2, H = 9, Th = 5, Tth = 3
3. U = 3, H = 5, Th = 0, Tth = 5
4. U = 0, H = 1, Th = 0, Tth = 6
5. Form six numbers with digits 3, 4 and 5.
6. Give the meaning of the following numbers in the decimal system
(base 10).
(a) 517 (b) 12 (c) 999

150 Unit 13
Exponent and Base
 ILBC

International Language & Business Centre

Mathematics
Primary Five
Issued by Maths Department

Computer and 0, 1

Computers work electronically and their operations depend on the fact

that an electric current can give a signal in two ways. For example, an electric
bulb can be on or off depending on whether or not the current is flowing in the
circuit. So computers need only two digits 1 and 0 for their working instruction.

1 0

13.3 Binary System

It is possible to have number system which works on the power of any

base. The most popular of these systems is the binary system (bi means 2)
which operates with power of 2.
In the binary system there are two digits which are 0 and 1. The units
are grouped in “2” s and powers of 2. Positional coefficients in the base 2
system are:
... 24, 23, 22, 21, 20 (unit)

24 23 22 21 20
16 8 4 2 1

Sixteen Eight Four Two Unit

S E F T U

Unit 13 151
Exponent and Base
 ILBC

International Language & Business Centre Mathematics

Primary Five
Issued by Maths Department

Example
24 (base 10)
24 = 16 + 8 ← powers of 2

S E F T U
16 8
9 9 – – –
On On Off Off Off
1 1 0 0 0

∴ 24 (base 10) = 11 000 (base 2)

↓
Read : one, one, zero, zero, zero

Example
Convert the number 10101 in binary system to the number in decimal
system.

Solution
S E F T U
1 0 1 0 1
10101 = 1×16 + 0×0 + 1×4 + 0×2 + 1×1
= 16 + 0 + 4 + 0 + 1
= 21
∴ 1 0 1 0 1 = 21 ⇐
two ten

Example
Convert 26 in the decimal system to the number in binary system.

Solution
26 = 16 + 8 + 2
ten

152 Unit 13
Exponent and Base
 ILBC

International Language & Business Centre

Mathematics
Primary Five
Issued by Maths Department

S E F T U
16 8 2
9 9 – 9 –
1 1 0 1 0

∴ 26 = 11010 ⇐
ten two

Exercise (13.5)
Fill the blanks in the given table.
1.
Base S E F T U Base
10 16 8 4 2 1 2
1 9
2 9 –
3 9 9
4 9 – –
5 9 – 9

2. Convert the following binary numbers in the decimal system.

(a) 11 (b) 101 (c) 1111 (d) 1011

3. Express each of the following the following binary numbers as decimal

number (base 10).
(a) 111 (b) 1011 (c) 1001 (d) 11001

Example
Convert the decimal number (base 10)
23 into a binary number (base 2)

Unit 13 153
Exponent and Base
 ILBC

International Language & Business Centre Mathematics

Primary Five
Issued by Maths Department

Solution
Method 1
23 = 16 + 4 + 2 + 1
ten
S E F T U
16 – 4 2 1
9 – 9 9 9
1 0 1 1 1

23 = 10111
ten two

Method 2

2 23
2 11r1 r = remainder
2 5r1
2 2r1
2 1r0
0r1

∴ 23 = 10111 (or) (23) = (10111)

ten two 10 2

Exercise (13.6)
1. Convert each of the following decimal number into the binary form by
arranging then in power of 2 in the two ways as indicated.
(1) 9 (2) 15 (3) 18 (4) 24 (5) 27
(6) 30 (7) 21 (8) 28 (9) 23 (10) 25

154 Unit 13
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