Exponents is basically multiplication, but it is helpful in reducing the amount of multiplication.
[tex]a^b \neq b^a \\\\3^5 \neq 5^3\\243\neq 125[/tex]
Here are some basic exponent rules:
[tex](ab)^m = a^m b^m\\a^b\times a^c = a^{b+c}\\\frac{a^b}{a^c}=a^{b-c}[/tex]
Also, 2^3 means 2 x 2 x 2
Notice how the 2 repeats 3 times.
5^7 means 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5
Notice how the number 5 repeats 7 times.
Hope that helped :)
