Adding Exponents

What happens when numbers with exponents are multiplied?

Related Topics:
Introduction to Exponents
Rules of Exponents
Using Exponent Rules

When multiplying numbers in exponent notation with the same base, we can add the exponents.

Consider:

Text Box: a2 × a3 = (a × a) × (a × a × a) = a2+3 = a5

This is the first law of exponents:

Example:

Simplify the following; give your answers in exponent form

Text Box: a) 33 × 32 b) x5 × x3 c)

Solution:

Text Box: a) 33 × 32 = 33 + 2 = 35 b) x5 × x3 = x5 + 3 = x8 c)

Common Error : The first law of exponents does NOT apply to addition of numbers in exponent notation.

The following video shows some examples of adding exponents.

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