Exponenten

A cube with 1-meter sides has a volume of 1 cubic meter—or, one to the third power.

Scaling up the edge to 2 meters increases the volume to 8 cubic meters.

The number being multiplied is the base, and the exponent shows how many times it’s multiplied by itself.

Stacking two identical 2-meter cubes doubles the volume. The total volume equals the volume of the original cube—2 times 2 times 2 cubic meters—multiplied by two for the second cube, or two to the third times two to the first.

When multiplying powers with the same base, the exponents are added. This gives two to the fourth, resulting in 16 cubic meters.

When a cube is divided evenly along one dimension, the volume is halved. The new volume equals the volume of the original cube divided by two—that is, two to the third power divided by two to the first.

When dividing powers with the same base, the exponents are subtracted. This results in two to the second, or four cubic meters.

These follow exponent rules: when multiplying, add exponents; when dividing, subtract them.

Exponents with powers of ten are used in scientific notation to express values like Earth’s diameter or red blood cell size.