Negative powers & standard form
Powers below zero, the zero power, and very small numbers.
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A negative power means one divided by: 2⁻³ = 1/8.
Look: Going right, each value is half the one before.
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12⁻² = ?
25⁰ = ?
3Write 0.0004 with a power of 10.
! Careful!
✗2⁻³ = −8.
✓Not negative! 2⁻³ = ⅛.
✗52 × 10⁻⁶ as standard form.
✓The front number must be 1 to 10: 5.2 × 10⁻⁵.
See the whole lesson on one page
A negative power means one divided by: 2⁻³ = 1/8.
2³ = 8, 2² = 4, 2¹ = 2, 2⁰ = 1, 2⁻¹ = ½. Tiny numbers can be written with powers of 10: 0.000007 = 7 × 10⁻⁶.
Think of it like thisEach step down the power ladder halves the number: 8, 4, 2, 1, ½, ¼, ⅛. Keep going past 1 and you get fractions.
Solved together
What is 10⁻²?
Negative power: one divided by.
10⁻² = 1 ÷ 10²10² = 100.
1 ÷ 100 = 0.01
Answer10⁻² = 0.01.
Now practise it
Kanakku makes new questions on negative powers & standard form every time. It shows the working and gives a hint when you are stuck.