The document provides information about laws of exponents and simplifying exponential expressions. It includes:
1) Definitions of exponent properties including the product, quotient, power, and zero exponent rules.
2) Six problems with multiple parts each asking students to simplify expressions using these exponent rules.
3) The key steps to simplifying expressions are removing parentheses, powers of powers, having each base occur only once, and eliminating negative and zero exponents.
The document provides information about laws of exponents and simplifying exponential expressions. It includes:
1) Definitions of exponent properties including the product, quotient, power, and zero exponent rules.
2) Six problems with multiple parts each asking students to simplify expressions using these exponent rules.
3) The key steps to simplifying expressions are removing parentheses, powers of powers, having each base occur only once, and eliminating negative and zero exponents.
The document provides information about laws of exponents and simplifying exponential expressions. It includes:
1) Definitions of exponent properties including the product, quotient, power, and zero exponent rules.
2) Six problems with multiple parts each asking students to simplify expressions using these exponent rules.
3) The key steps to simplifying expressions are removing parentheses, powers of powers, having each base occur only once, and eliminating negative and zero exponents.
The document provides information about laws of exponents and simplifying exponential expressions. It includes:
1) Definitions of exponent properties including the product, quotient, power, and zero exponent rules.
2) Six problems with multiple parts each asking students to simplify expressions using these exponent rules.
3) The key steps to simplifying expressions are removing parentheses, powers of powers, having each base occur only once, and eliminating negative and zero exponents.
Semester I, 2019 – 2020 Worksheet 2: Laws of Exponents
Simplifying Exponential Expressions
If a is a real number and n is an integer greater than 1, then the symbol an represents the product of n factors of a. That is, an = a| · a · a{z· . . . · a} n factors n 1 When n = 1, a = a. That is, a = a. If a 6= 0, then 1 a0 = 1 and a−n = . an Thus, am an = am+n , (am )n = amn , (ab)n = an bn , am m−n 1 a n an = a = if a 6 = 0 , = if b 6= 0. an an−m b bn Properties of exponents are used to simplify exponential expressions. An exponential expression is simplified when • No parenthesis appear.
• No powers are raised to powers.
• Each base occurs only once. • No negative or zero exponents appear.
Instructions: Attempt ALL questions and show ALL working where possible. 1. Multiply each expression using the product rule:
(a) b4 · b7 (f ) (2x3 y 7 )(5x6 y 8 )
(b) y · y 3 (g ) (−3x4 y)(2x7 y 2 )
(c) 33 · 32 (h) (25xy 2 z 3 )(3x3 y 2 z 7 )
(d ) 4x2 · 3x5 (i ) (−9x0 yz 5 )(6xz 9 )
(e) (−5y 9 )(−2y 3 ) (j ) (−2x2 y 3 )2
Page 1 of 4 2. Divide each expression using the quotient rule:
25 x9 y 12 (a) (f ) 22 x4 y 5
x9 60x2 y 7 (b) (g ) x3 6xy
12x5 4x (c) (h) 4x3 3x2
18x11 −24xy 2 (d ) (i ) 6x7 3xy
x3 y 4 −56x9 y 7 z 6 (e) (j ) x2 y 2 8x3 yz 2
3. Use the zero-exponent rule to simplify each expression:
(a) 40 (f ) 17x0 y
(b) (−6)0 (g ) 3(xy)0
(c) −80 (h) −4(3x)0
(d ) 17x0 (i ) −(2x2 y 7 z 9 )0
(e) (30x)0 (j ) −30 y 0
4. Use the negative-exponent rule to write each expression with a positive exponent. Simplify, if possible:
(a) 2−2 1 (g ) 4−2 (b) (−1)−4 2 (h) (c) −5 −2 x−2
(d ) 3x−1 3 (i ) − (−2)−3 (e) x2 y −2 x−2 y 7 (f ) 7x−5 y 8 (j ) z −3
5. Simplify each expression using the power rule:
(a) (x2 )3 (f ) ((x + 2)2 )2
(b) (y 2 )−3 (g ) ((x + y)−1 )2
(c) (b−1 )−2 (h) (π 2 )2
(d ) (25 )−1 (i ) (32 )1/2
(e) (4−4 )−5 (j ) (67 )2/7
6. Simplify each expression using the products-to-powers rule:
Page 2 of 4 (a) (3x)2 (f ) (−2x4 y 2 )4
(b) (−2x7 )2 (g ) (7x2 y −2 )3
(c) (−6x9 )2 (h) (3x−1 y 3 )−2
(d ) (3xy 2 )3 (i ) (−2x3 y 5 z 3 )−3
(e) (5x2 y)2 (j ) (−3x2 yz −2 )−1
7. Simplify each expression using the quotients-to-powers rule:
x2 z 3 (y ) (h) 2x−1 y −5 · xy 5 (−2)3 (2x5 y 2 z 4 )2 (p) (2x2 )4 (x3 y 5 )3 (2−2 )−4 (i ) (q ) (−a −1 4 0 −3 · 2a b ) (z ) zx4 y 3 · x3 y 0 z 4 (2−2 )−1 · (24 )4
10. Simplify each exponential expression. Assume that all variables used as exponents represent integers and that all other variables represent nonzero real numbers. −1 3 3x4 2x3 x3t−1 x3t · x4t−1
(a) (g ) (m) y −4 y2 xt xt
2−1 x−2 y −2 xy −3 3 y 4p−2 z 5x · z x−7 (b) (h) (n) x4 y −1 x−3 y y 3p zx
