Republic Central Colleges

Angeles City, Philippines

Work Sheet No. 2 – First Grading Period

Zero, Negative and Integral Exponents

Name: _________________________________________________ Section: ____________________

Activity: Remember Me?!
A. Directions: Simplify the following expressions.
1. 𝑏 3 ∙ 𝑏 3 4.
10𝑚6
2𝑚10
3
𝑟2
2. (𝑠4 ) 5. (𝑚3 )5

3. (−2)3
B. Directions: Solve the given problem then answer the questions that follow.
“The speed of light is approximately 3 x 108 meters per second. If it takes 5 x 102 seconds for light to travel
from the sun to the earth, what is the distance between the sun and the earth?”
Questions:
1. How did you solve the given problem?
2. What concept have you applied?
3. How did you apply your knowledge of the laws of integral exponents in answering the given problem?

Activity: Agree or Disagree?!

Directions: Read each statement under the column STATEMENT then write A if you agree with the statement;
otherwise, write D. write your answer on the “Response-Before-the-Discussion” column.
ANTICIPATION-REACTION GUIDE
Response-Before- Response After the
Statement
the-Discussion DISCUSSION
A number raised to zero is equal to one (1).
An expression with negative exponent CANNOT be written as an
expression with a positive exponent.
1
2−3 is equal to 8.
Laws of exponents may be used to simplify expressions with
rational exponents.
1 −2
( ) =9
3
0 −2
3 4 = −16
1
(32𝑥 2 𝑦 5 )−2
may be written as (32𝑥 2 𝑦 5 )2 where 𝑥 ≠ 0 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦 ≠ 0.
2
(−16) = −16
3
1 1
1
The exponential expression 1 is equivalent to 𝑥 2 and 102 .
(𝑥+10)2
1
34 ∙ 40 + 12 ∙ 50 = 11

Activity: Play with NEGATIVE!

Directions: Analyze the problem below
then answer the questions that follow.

“A grain of rice has a volume of 20-

9 m3. A box full of rice has a volume

of 20-3 m3. How many grains of rice

are there in the box?

Questions:
1. What have you noticed from
the values given in the
problem?
2. What have you observed from
the exponents?
3. What have you done to simplify
the values?
4. How did you solve for the
problem? Have you applied
any law? Why?
If an exponent is to be extended to include any integer, the operations with exponents must follow directly the
32 9 𝑎𝑚
laws established for positive integral exponents. Consider the expression 32
= 9 = 1. Extending the law, 𝑎𝑛
=
32 32
𝑎𝑚−𝑛 , where 𝑎 ≠ 0 to the case where 𝑚 = 𝑛, then 32 = 32−2 = 30 . But, 32 = 1. That suggests that we can define
30 to be 1. In general, for 𝑎 ≠ 𝑜, 𝑎0 is defined by 𝑎0 = 1.

Simplify the following:

1. 3−2 4.
1
4 −2
2. 4−3 1
5. 5−3
1 −2
3. (2)

Questions:
• What did you observe about the exponents?
• How were the problems solved?
• What can you conclude from the process of solving problems?

𝑎𝑚 1 35 1 1 1 𝑎𝑚
Though the law 𝑎𝑛
= 𝑎𝑛−𝑚, where 𝑛 < 𝑚, then 38
= 38−5 = 33 = 27. On the other hand, if 𝑎𝑛
= 𝑎𝑛−𝑚 is to hold
35 1
even when 𝑚 > 𝑛, for example 38 = 35−8 = 3−3, then 3−3 must be defined as 33 . In general, 𝑎−𝑚 is defined by
1
𝑎−𝑚 = 𝑎𝑚, where 𝑎 ≠ 0.
Look at the expressions below:
1 2
1 1 3 4
43 (𝑥 2 ) (𝑦 2 ) (𝑦 3 ) 𝑎4
( 2)
𝑏3
Questions:
1. What can you observe about the exponents of the given expressions?
2. How do you think these exponents are defined?
3. Do you think you can still apply your understanding of the laws of exponents to simplifying
the given examples? Why?

The expressions above are expressions with RATIONAL EXPONENTS.

𝑎
Review: Rational numbers are real numbers that can be written in the form 𝑏 , where a and b are set of integers
and 𝑏 ≠ 0. Hence, they can be whole numbers, fraction, mixed numbers and decimals, together with their
negative images.

Activity: A New Kind of Exponent!

Directions: Fill out the table. One row id filled out for you.
Column B Column C
Column A 1
1 1 𝑛
(𝑏 𝑛 ) Value(s) of 𝑏 𝑛 that satisfy the
𝑏 𝑛
equation in Column B
1 1 2
252 (252 ) = 25 5 𝑎𝑛𝑑 − 5

1
643
1
(−8)3
1
(−1)2
1
The values in Column C represent the possible definition of 𝑏 𝑛 such that rules for integer exponent may still
1
hold. Now we will develop formal definition for 𝑏 𝑛 .

Questions:
1
• When is there a unique possible value of 𝑏 𝑛 in Column C?
1
• When are there no possible values of 𝑏 𝑛 in Column C?
1
• When are there two possible values of 𝑏 𝑛 in Column C?
1
• If there are two possible values of 𝑏 𝑛 in Column C, what can you observe about these two values?
 1
Let n be a positive integer. Then 𝑏 𝑛 is defined as the principal nth root of b. this means that:
1 1
1. If b is positive, then 𝑏 𝑛 is the unique positive number a such that 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑏. If 𝑏 = 0, then 𝑏 𝑛 is 0.
1
Example: 252 = 5, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 − 5
1
2. If b is negative and n is odd, then 𝑏 𝑛 is the unique real number a such that 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑏.
1
Example: (−8)3 = −2
1
3. If b is negative and n is even, then 𝑏 𝑛 is not defined.
1
Example: (−1)2 is not defined

Activity: Extend your Understanding!

Directions: How will the following expressions be simplified? One example is worked out for you.
1 1 1 1
1. (62 ) (62 )=(62+2 ) = 61 = 6
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2. (23 ) (23 ) (23 ) (23 ) (23 ) (23 ) (23 ) =
1 1 1 1
3. (102 ) (102 ) (102 ) (102 ) =
1 1 1
4. (−4)7 (−4)7 (−4)7 =
1 1 1 1 1 1
5. 13−4 13−4 13−4 13−4 13−4 13−4 =
Questions:
1 𝑚
• If rules for integer exponents are applied to rational exponents, how can you simplify (𝑏 𝑛 )
1 −𝑚
• If rules for integer exponents are applied to rational exponents, how can you simplify (𝑏 𝑛 )

𝑚 −𝑚
Let m and n be positive integers. Then 𝑏 𝑛 and 𝑏 𝑛 are defined as follows:
𝑚 1 𝑚 1
1. 𝑏 = (𝑏 ) , provided that 𝑏 is defined.
𝑛 𝑛 𝑛

3 1 3
Example: 814 = (814 ) = 35 = 27
2 1 2
(−8)3 = [(−83 ) ] = −23 = −8
2 1
(−1)3 is not defined because (−1)3
𝑚
1
2. 𝑏 − 𝑛 = 𝑚 , provided that 𝑏 ≠ 0.
𝑏𝑛

Activity: What’s Happening?

Directions: Complete the table below and observe the pattern.
Column A Column B Column C Column D Column E Column F Column G Column H
1 1 1
40 1 4−1 4−2 4−3
4 16 64
30 3−1 3−2 3−3
0 −1
2 2 2−2 2−3
0 −1
1 1 1−2 1−3
1 0 1 −1 1 −2 1 −3
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
2 2 2 2

Activity: Finding the Treasures, Getting my Reward!

Directions: Simplify the following expressions by rewriting them without using zero and negative integral
exponents.
Expressions Answers Expressions Answers Expressions Answers
−4
1 0 11. (3 +
1. (𝑥) 6. −3𝑚−2 𝑛𝑝−4
5−3 )−1
12. (3−4 +
2. (3𝑥𝑦 2 )−2 7. (8𝑜 4 𝑝2 𝑞)0
5−3 )−2
1 −2
13. 6𝑒 0 +
−8 0
3. (4𝑚) 8. 𝑑 (100𝑥𝑦) 5
(11𝑓 0 ) − 0
𝑔
0
2 0 −1 3−3 (−2)5 5(2𝑎−1 𝑏3 )
4. 8𝑥 𝑦 𝑧 9. 14.
6−1 (10𝑐 −5 𝑑 6 𝑒 −8 )
−3
1 𝑎 −3 𝑏11 −5(𝑚−4 𝑛−5 )
5. 5−2 10. 15.
𝑐 7(𝑝−6 𝑞5 )−4
Activity: Am I Right?
𝑏2
Des and Richard were asked to simplify 𝑏−5. Their solutions and explanations are shown below.
LJ JD
𝑏2 𝑏2 𝑏5
= = 𝑏 2
∙ = 𝑏7 𝑏2
𝑏 −5 1 1 = 𝑏 2−(−5) = 𝑏 2+5 = 𝑏 7
𝑏 −5
𝑏 −5
LJ used the concept of the negative exponent then
JD used the law of exponent.
followed the rule of dividing fractions.

Activity: Finding the Treasures, Getting my Reward!

Directions: Simplify the following expressions. If the expression is undefined, write “undefined”.
1 1 1 1
1. 492 3. 10003 5. (−64)3 7. (−4)2
1 1 1 1
2. 1253 4. (−32)5 6. (−100)2 8. (−81)4

The previous activities enabled you to realize that laws of exponents for integral exponents may be used
in simplifying expressions with rational exponents.
Let m and n be rational numbers and a and b be real numbers.

𝑎𝑚 ∙ 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑚+𝑛 (𝑎𝑚 )𝑛 = 𝑎𝑚𝑛 (𝑎𝑏)𝑚 = 𝑎𝑚 𝑏 𝑚

𝑎 𝑚 𝑎𝑚 𝑎𝑚 𝑎𝑚 1
( ) = 𝑛 ,𝑏 ≠ 0 = 𝑎𝑚−𝑛 , 𝑖𝑓 𝑚 > 𝑛 = , 𝑖𝑓 𝑚 < 𝑛
𝑏 𝑎 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑚 𝑎𝑚−𝑛
1
Note: Some real numbers raised to rational exponent, such as (−1)2 are not real numbers. In such cases,
these laws do not hold.

Aside from the laws of exponents, you were also required to use your understanding of addition
and subtraction of similar and dissimilar fractions.

Activity: Fill Me In! (by dyad or triad)

Directions: Simplify the following expressions with rational exponents by filling in the boxes with solutions.
Then answer the process questions that follow.
2 4 14
(𝑐 9 ) (𝑐 3 ) 𝑐9
2 4 1
(𝑥 5 𝑦 10 )
𝑥 𝑦2
2
1
𝑎2 1
3 𝑎5
𝑎10
4 1
2−3 1
5 12
2−6 2
1 1
(𝑥 12 𝑦12 )−2 𝑥 𝑦6
6

Activity: Make Me Simple!

Directions: Using your knowledge of rational expressions, simplify the following.
Given Final Answer
2 6
(𝑘 5 ) (𝑘 7 )
1
(𝑥 16 𝑦 20 𝑧 8 )4
1
(𝑝21 𝑞−15 𝑟 −3 )3
1 1
𝑚 5 𝑛 −7
1 2
𝑚−4 𝑛7
3 1
𝑥 2 𝑦 −4
3 3
𝑥4𝑦4
“The REAL ESSENCE of Mathematics is making complicated things SIMPLE not making simple things COMPLICATED.”

Prepared By:
Mr. Mark Lourenze M. Cunanan
Grade 9 Mathematics Teacher
School Year 2017-2018