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| Question: Please can you tell me something about "powers", which I think are also called "indices". Some examples would also help me. |
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| Answer: Think of these numbers: 2 to the power 4 This means 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 16 2 to the power 3 This means 2 x 2 x 2 = 8 2 to the power 2 This means 2 x 2 = 4 2 to the power 1 This means 2 x 1 = 2 Continue this down: 2 to the power 0 This means 1 (Anything to the power 0 is always 1) 2 to the power -1 This means 1/2 or 0.5 2 to the power -2 This means 1/4 or 0.25 (You divide 1 by 2 squared) 2 to the power -3 This means 1/8 or 0.25 (You divide 1 by 2 cubed) If you look back through this you should see that there is a relationship between positive and negative powers. The negative power is the inverse or reciprocal of the number. |
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