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Indices Notes

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195 views4 pages

Indices Notes

Uploaded by

hamiltonmwakwari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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1

INDICES

DR D STEPHEN

Introduction
A power, or an index, is used to write a product of numbers very compactly. The plural
of index is indices. We have a number of rules or laws used to simplify expressions involving
indices.

1. Powers, or indices
In the expression xa , the index is a and the number x is called the base. We write the
expression
7 × 7 × 7 × 7 as 74 ,
We read this as ‘seven to the power four’. Similarly,
b × b × b = b3
We read this as ‘b to the power three’ or ‘b cubed’.
Your calculator will probably have a button to evaluate powers of numbers. It may be marked
xy . Check this, and then use your calculator to verify that;
74 = 2401 and 255 = 9765625

1.1. Exercises.
(1) Without using a calculator work out the value of
a) 42 , b) 53 , c) 25 , d) ( 21 )2 , e) ( 25 )3 , f) ( 13 )2 .
(2) Write the following expressions more concisely by using an index.
a) (x × x × x × x), b) (yz) × (yz) × (yz), c) xy × xy × xy × xy × xy .

2. The laws of indices


To manipulate expressions involving indices we use rules known as the laws of indices. We
shall highlight the most important laws of indices here.

2.1. First law.


am × an = am+n
When expressions with the same base are multiplied, the indices are added.
Example 2.1. We can write
76 × 74 = 76+4 = 71 0.
You could verify this by evaluating both sides separately.
Example 2.2.
z 4 × z 3 = z 4+3 = z 7
1Department of Mathematics and Physics, Technical University of Mombasa, P.O. Box 90420, 80100 Mombasa,
Kenya.
1
2 DR D STEPHEN

2.2. Second law.


am
= am−n
an

Example 2.3. We can write


87 x7
= 87−4 = 83 and similary, = x7−5 = x2 .
84 x5
2.3. Third law.
(am )n = am n
Note that m and n have been multiplied to yield the new index mn. Note that;
a0 = 1 and a1 = a
Example 2.4.
(64 )2 = 64×2 = 68 and (ex )y = exy
2.4. Exercises.
(1) In each case choose an appropriate law to simplify the expression:
7 8
a) 813 ÷ 85 , b) 53 × 513 , c) (a3 )4 , d) yy3 , e) aa7 , f) x5 × x4 .
(2) Use one of the laws to simplify, if possible, y 6 × x5 .
2.5. Rational Exponents or Indices. A rational exponent indicates a power in the numerator
and a root in the denominator. There are multiple ways of writing an expression, a variable, or
a number with a rational exponent:
Example 2.5.
m 1 √ √
a( n ) = (a n )m = n
am = ( n a)m
2
(1) Solve 8( 3 )
Solution
2 1 √
3
√
8( 3 ) = (8 3 )2 = 82 = ( 8)2 = 22 = 4.
3

1
(2) Evaluate 64− 3
Solution
1 11 1
64− 3 = = √3
= .
1
64 64 34
5
(3) Solve the equation in which a variable is raised to a rational exponent: x 4 = 32.
Solution
The way to remove the exponent on x is by raising both sides of the equation to a power
that is the reciprocal of, 54 ,which is, 45 . Therefore,
5
x 4 = 32
5 4 4
(x 4 ) 5 = (32) 5
√5
√
x = 324 = ( 32)4 = 24 = 16.
5

4 √
(4) What is the value of a in the following equation: 2 3 = a 16.
Solution
Since √ √
4 3 3
2 3 = 24 = 16.
Then a = 3.
INDICES 3

An expression with a rational exponent is equivalent to a radical where the denominator is the
index and the numerator is the exponent. Any radical expression can be written with a rational
exponent, which
√ we call exponential form. For instance;
5 2
Radical form x2 and Exponential form x 5 . Furthermore
√
5 2
x2 = x 5 .
Example 2.6. Write the following as radicals:
1
(1) 8 3
Solution
1 √
3
83 = 8.
3
(2) ( 7xy
z )
2

Solution
s 3 r 3
7xy 3 7xy 7xy
( )2 = = .
z z z
3
(3) 16− 4

3 1 1 1
16− 4 = 3 = √
4
= 3 .
16 4 163 √
4
16

Example 2.7. Write the following in exponential form:


√
(1) 643
Solution
√ 3
643 = 64 2 .
√
(2) ( n x)y
Solution
√ p y
( n x)y = n (x)y = x n .
q 3
81
(3) 25
Solution
r 3  3
25 25 2
= .
81 81
2.6. Exercises. Solve the following questions:
(1) Convert the following from Exponential to Radical form;
3 1 2
a) x− 2 b) (a2 + b2 ) 2 c) 8− 3 .
(2) Convert the following from Radical to Exponential form;
2
√ √ √

3
p 3
a) 6 b) (5ab) c) 3 2
3x + 4b2 d) (4x) x2 .
(3) Evaluate;
2 5 3
a) (x 3 ) 2 + a if a = 8 b) √5 c) (9x4 )1 2
√ √ 5
(4) Multiply, 2 × 3 2.
4 DR D STEPHEN
√
3
4
(5) Divide, √5 .
2
(6) Simplify;
√ √ √ √ √
a) 3 −216 b) 6 3 9000 + 7 3 576 c) 3 128 + 3 3 2.
Remark 2.1. Take note that:
1.) When converting fractional exponents to radicals, use the numerator as the power and the
denominator as the index of the radical.
2.) All the rules of exponents apply to expressions with rational exponents.
3.) Calculators are not allowed when working on rational indices.

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