Solve equations with variable exponents
Key Notes :
An exponent tells you how many times its base is used as a factor.
When 10 is raised to a whole number exponent, its value has a leftmost
digit of 1 and all other digits are 0. The exponent tells you how many 0s
come after the 1.
| Exponent | Power of 10 | Value | Number of 0s |
| 1 | 101 =10 | 10 | 1 |
| 2 | 102 =10.10 | 100 | 2 |
| 3 | 103 =10.10.10 | 1,000 | 3 |
| 4 | 104 =10.10.10.10 | 10,000 | 4 |
Learn with an example
Solve for u.
2c = 4
u =
Look at the equation.
2c = 4
The base is 2. The exponent, u, is the number of times 2 is used in the repeated multiplication.
Compute powers of 2 until you get 4.
So, u = 2 .
Solve for u
2u = 8
u =
Look at the equation.
2u = 8
The base is 2. The exponent, u, is the number of times 2 is used in the repeated multiplication.
Compute powers of 2 until you get 8.
So, u = 3.
Let’s practice!🖊️
