Simplifying Powers with Exponent Rules

Pre-Algebra · Axiom Academy

One tidy expression, three exponent rules — power of a power, product, then quotient — worked step by step. Simplify . Write the result as a single power of 3, then as a whole number. Nicely done. You chained three exponent rules to collapse a busy-looking expression down to a single number. Power of a power multiplies exponents: . Multiplying like bases adds exponents (and remember 3 = 3^1 ): . Dividing like bases subtracts exponents: . The trick is to work one rule at a time from the inside out — each rule only ever touches the exponents, never the base.

This is the written version of the interactive lesson above. See the full Pre-Algebra course.