GRE Powers Refresher

5 Å exponent
base Æ
2 = 2×2×2×2×2

Examples:

52 34 106
= 5×5 = 3×3×3×3 = 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10
= 25 = 81 = 1,000,000

Practice: Evaluate the following Answers:

a) 3 3 = a) 3 3 = 27

b) 2 4 = b) 2 4 = 16

c) 10 5 = c) 10 5 = 100,000

d) (-2) 6 = d) (-2) 6 = 64

e) 5 3 = e) 5 3 = 125

f) 7 1 = f) 7 1 = 7

Practice: Find the value of x Answers:

a) 4 x = 64 a) 4 3 = 64

3
b) x =8 b) 2 3 = 8

c) 10 x = 10,000 c) 10 4 = 10,000

3
d) x = 27 d) 3 3 = 27

e) 13 x = 13 e) 13 1 = 13

2
f) x = 1,000,000 f) 1000 2 = 1,000,000

1
 GRE Powers Refresher

Product Law Quotient Law Power Law

xa
x ⋅x = x
a b a+b
x a ÷ x b = b = x a−b
x
(x ) a b
= x ab

Examples: Examples: Examples:

85 ⋅ 87 = 812 49 ÷ 46 = 43 (11 )
3 5
= 1115
( −3 ) ⋅ ( −3 ) = ( −3 )
10 9 19
511 ⎡( −3.9 ) 2 ⎤
10
= ( −3.9 )
20
= 57
6 4 10 5 4 ⎣ ⎦
⎛4⎞ ⎛4⎞ ⎛ 4⎞
⎜ ⎟ ⋅⎜ ⎟ = ⎜ ⎟
⎝7⎠ ⎝7⎠ ⎝7⎠
( −2.8 )
30

= ( −2.8 )
20 ( 84 )
3 7
= 8421
( −2.8 )
10

Practice: Simplify the following Answers:

a) 6 4 ⋅ 63 ⋅ 62 ⋅ 6 = a) 610

( −5 )
21

= ( −5 )
18
b) b)
( −5 )
3

8 10 19
⎛2⎞ ⎛2⎞ ⎛2⎞ ⎛2⎞
c) ⎜ ⎟ ⋅ ⎜ ⎟ ⋅ ⎜ ⎟ = c) ⎜ ⎟
⎝3⎠ ⎝3⎠ ⎝3⎠ ⎝3⎠

d) (5 )
4 11
= d) 5 44

85 ⋅ 8 4 ⋅ 8 3
e) = e) 8
6

86

⎡ ( 23 ) 4 ⎤ =
5

f) ⎣⎢ ⎦⎥ f) 260

g) 7 ⋅ 7 ⋅ 7 ⋅ 7 ⋅ 7 ⋅ 7 ⋅ 7 ⋅ 7 ⋅ 7 = g) 79

h) x ⋅ x ⋅ x =
5 4 13
h) x
16
6
x

x ⋅ ( x5 ) ⋅ x7
2

i) = i) x6
(x ) 4 3

2
GRE Powers Refresher

Negative Powers
1
x −n =
xn

Examples:

1 1
3 −4 = 4
=
3 81
1 1
10−2 = 2 =
10 100
1 1
7 −1 = 1 =
7 7

Practice: Evaluate the following Answers:

1
a) 5 -2 = a) 5 -2 =
25
1
b) 2 -5 = b) 2 -5 =
32
1
c) 10 -4 = c) 10 -4 =
10,000
1
d) (-3) -1 = d) (-3) -1 = −
3
1
e) 4 -3 = e) 4 -3 =
64
1
f) 11 -1 = f) 11 -1 =
11

Practice: Find the value of x Answers:

1 1
a) 2x = a) 2 −7 =
128 128
1 1
b) x −3 = b) 100−3 =
1,000,000 1,000,000
1 1
c) 5x = c) 5 −4 =
625 625
−2
x −2 =
49 ⎛5⎞ 49
d) d) ⎜ ⎟ =
25 ⎝7⎠ 25

e) x −83 = 1 e) 1−83 = 1