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Ch. R - Review of Basic Concepts
Lial - College Algebra 13th Edition
Lial13th EditionCollege AlgebraISBN: 9780136881063Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 1, Problem 5

Fill in the blank(s) to correctly complete each sentence. In the expression 63, 6 is the ____ , and 3 is the ____ .

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1
Identify the components of the expression \$6^3\(. In an expression of the form \)a^b\(, \)a\( is called the base and \)b$ is called the exponent.
Recognize that the base is the number that is being multiplied by itself, and the exponent tells how many times the base is used as a factor.
In the expression \$6^3$, the number 6 is the base because it is the number being multiplied.
The number 3 is the exponent because it indicates that 6 is multiplied by itself 3 times.
Therefore, complete the sentence: In the expression \$6^3$, 6 is the base, and 3 is the exponent.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Base in Exponential Expressions

The base in an exponential expression is the number that is multiplied by itself repeatedly. In the expression 6^3, the base is 6, meaning 6 is used as a factor three times.
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Exponent (or Power) in Exponential Expressions

The exponent indicates how many times the base is multiplied by itself. In 6^3, the exponent is 3, which means the base 6 is multiplied three times: 6 × 6 × 6.
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Notation and Terminology of Exponents

Exponential notation uses a small number (exponent) placed above and to the right of the base to show repeated multiplication. Understanding this notation helps in identifying the roles of base and exponent in expressions.
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