Exponents

Exponents are a fast way to write big multiplications. They are tiny numbers written up high next to a bigger number. The big number is called the base. The small number shows how many times to multiply the base by itself. Exponents make math shorter and easier.

How Exponents Work

If you see 2 with a little 3 next to it, that means 2 times 2 times 2. That equals 8. We say this as 'two to the third power.' A number with an exponent of 2 is called squared. A number with an exponent of 3 is called cubed. Exponents help us write very big numbers in a small space.

Big Numbers Made Easy

Exponents are super helpful for huge numbers. For example, 10 to the sixth power is one million. Scientists use exponents to talk about stars and tiny atoms. Computers also use exponents to count very fast. Without exponents, writing these numbers would take a lot of space.

Fun Facts

• Any number with an exponent of 0 equals 1.
• Exponents are also called powers.
• A googol is the number 1 followed by 100 zeros, or 10 to the 100th power.

Did You Know?

The word 'googol' gave the search engine Google its name, but the company spelled it differently.