Fundamental Math Rules: Powers, Roots, and Divisibility
Rule of Signs
When performing operations, follow these sign rules:
- (+) and (+) = +
- (+) and (-) = -
- (-) and (-) = +
- (-) and (+) = -
Calculation of Powers
To calculate a power, multiply the base by itself as many times as indicated by the exponent.
- 4 raised to 1 = 4
- 45 raised to 1 = 45
- -42 = -(4 · 4) = -16
- 32 = 3 · 3 = 9
- (-4)3 = (-4) · (-4) · (-4) = -64 (Note: - · - = + and + · - = -)
Operations with Powers
When operations involve the same base, the following rules apply:
- Multiplication: The exponents are added.
- Division: The exponents are subtracted.
- Parentheses: The exponents are multiplied.
Square Roots
To find a square root, we look for a number that, when squared, most closely approximates the root. The base of this power is the result. To compute the...