1.

7 INDICES I

Basic Concept
3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 can be written as power of 3, that is, 36 (read as ‘3 to the power of 6’).

The digit 3 in 36 is known as the base, and the digit 6 in 36 is known as the index (plural: indices).
36 is called the index notation of 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3.

Written 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 in index notation is 78.

Laws of Indices
xa  xb = xa + b
𝑥𝑎
xa ÷ xb = xa − b or = 𝑥 𝑎−𝑏 (x ≠ 0)
𝑥𝑏
(xa)b = xab
xa  ya = (x  y)a or (xy)a, (xy)a = xaya
𝑥 𝑎 𝑥 𝑎 𝑥𝑎
x ÷ y = (x ÷ y) or ቀ ቁ , ቀ ቁ = 𝑎 = xa ÷ ya (y ≠ 0)
a a a
𝑦 𝑦 𝑦

Some Important Definitions of Indices

• x0 = 1 (x ≠ 0) (Value of anything to the power 0 is equal to 1)

1 1 𝑎 −𝑐 𝑏 𝑐
• x−a = 𝑎 , or = 𝑥𝑏 , or ቀ ቁ = ቀ ቁ
𝑥 𝑥 −𝑏 𝑏 𝑎
 1 1 1
or ξ𝑎 = ሺ𝑎ሻ 3 or
3 4
• ξ𝑎 = ሺ𝑎ሻ2 ξ𝑎 = ሺ𝑎ሻ4
1
In general ξ𝑎 = ሺ𝑎ሻ .
𝑛
𝑛
1 1 1
Also 𝑚 = ξ𝑚 , 𝑚 = ξ𝑚, = ξ𝑚 and
3 𝑛
• 2 3 𝑚 𝑛

𝑎 𝑎
𝑏 𝑏
𝑚 = ξ𝑚𝑎 𝑜𝑟 ൫ ξ𝑚൯
𝑏

• Before evaluating a number in index form, make sure it has a positive index.
If it has a negative index, first make it positive by taking its reciprocal and
then evaluate it.
9 can be written as 3  3 or 32
27 can be written as 3  3  3 or 33
81 can be written as 3  3  3  3 or 34
243 can be written as 3  3  3  3  3 or 35
The process is called ‘expressing a number as a product of prime factors’ while the format 32
or 33 or 34 or 35 is called index notation or index form or exponential form. The plural of
index is indices.

32 (= 2  2  2  2  2) can be written as 25 (when expressed as a power of 2) in index form.

The small raised 5 is the index or exponent or raised to the power.

The number 2 at the bottom is the base. The index or exponent shows how many times the
base is being multiplied to itself.

25 can be read as ‘two to the five’ or ‘two to the power five’ or ‘two raised to the power five’.
Any number raised to the power one is itself: 21 = 2, 31 = 3, 41 = 4, 51 = 5 etc.
Any number raised to the power two has a special name ‘square’ and any number raised to the
power three has a special name ‘cube’. ‘Square of five’ means 52 (= 5  5 = 25) and ‘cube of
five’ means 53 (= 5  5  5 = 125).
9 can be written as 3  3 (square of 3) or 32 and hence, ξ9 (square root of 9) = 3,
27 can be written as 3  3  3 (cube of 3) or 33 and hence, ξ27 (cube root of 27) = 3,
3

81 can be written as 3  3  3  3 (to the power 4) or 34 and hence, ξ81 (4th root of 81) = 3,
4

243 can be written as 3  3  3  3  3 (to the power 5) or 35 and hence, ξ243 (5th root of
5

243) = 3, and so on …
Indices in Algebra
Index notation is used in the same way in algebra. x4 is to the power four of x;
x is the base and 4 is the index or exponent or raised to the power.
5m2 can be read as ‘5 times m squared’ or ‘5 times m to the power 2’ is 5  m2 = 5  m  m.
In index notation, the index only applies to the number or letter it is written beside.
3x3y4 = 3  x3  y4 = 3  x  x  x  y  y  y  y.
6p4q3r2 = 6  p4  q3  r2 = 2  3  p  p  p  p  q  q  q  r  r.
23a2b3c5 = 23  a2  b3  c5 = 2  2  2  a  a  b  b  b  c  c  c  c  c.

• For any nonzero real number x; x0 = 1 (Any number to the power zero is one)
1 𝑥− 𝑎 𝑦𝑏 𝑎 −𝑐 𝑏 𝑐
• x–a = 𝑥 𝑎 and = and ቀ𝑏ቁ = ቀ𝑎ቁ
𝑦 −𝑏 𝑥a
• ax • ay (same as ax  ay) = ax + y (product of indices)
𝑎𝑥
• ax  ay (same as ) = ax – y , a  0. (division of indices)
𝑎𝑦
• ሺ𝑥 𝑎 ሻ𝑏 = 𝑥 𝑎𝑏
• ሺ𝑎𝑏ሻ𝑥 = 𝑎 𝑥 𝑏 𝑥
𝑎 𝑥 𝑎𝑥
• ቀ𝑏ቁ = 𝑏𝑥 , where b  0

Simplifying the Indices

When multiplying or dividing powers of the same bases and some numbers multiples, numbers
are grouped together and powers with each other.
 Practice Questions from Past Papers

1 (a) Evaluate 7−3 ÷ 7−4. [1]

(b) Find the value of k when (36)k = 32. [1]

(c) Simplify 3(22  33  54)2.

Give your answer in the form 2a  3b  5c. [2]

Q15 4024/11/M/J/22
2 Evaluate [2]
Q13(a) 4024/12/M/J/22
3 Simplify [2]
Q21(b) 4024/12/M/J/22
4 (a) Evaluate 40. [1]

(b) Simplify m3  m5. [1]

Q7 4024/11/O/N/21

5 (a) Evaluate ξ 4900 [1]

(b) Evaluate 53. [1]
Q1 4024/12/O/N/21
6 (a) Solve. 27k = 9. [2]
(b) Simplify [2]
Q22 4024/12/O/N/21
7 (a)
Find the value of k. [1]

(b) Simplify [2]

Q16 4024/12/M/J/21

8 (a) Evaluate ξ160000 . [1]

(c) Evaluate 1 − 3−1. [1]

Q4(b&c) 4024/11/O/N/20
9 (a) Simplify (2x2)3. [1]
(b) Simplify [2]
Q12 4024/12/O/N/20
10 Simplify [2]
Q5(b) 4024/22/O/N/20

11 y = 5x + 1. Find y when x = −2. [1]

Q11(b) 4024/12/M/J/20
12 Simplify [2]
Q21 4024/12/M/J/20

13 (a) Evaluate 3−2  34 [1]

(b) Evaluate 3 − 30. [1]

(c) Simplify [1]

Q12 4024/11/O/N/19
14 Simplify
[1+1+2]
Q13 4024/12/O/N/19
15 (a) [1+1]

(b) . Find the value of k. [2]

Q6 4024/11/M/J/19
16 Evaluate [1]
Q1(b) 4024/12/M/J/19
17 Simplify [2]
Q20 4024/12/M/J/19
18 Express as a fraction in its simplest form. [2]
Q4(a)(i) 4024/21/M/J/19
19 (a) Evaluate [1]

(b) Simplify [2]

Q14 4024/11/O/N/18
20 (a) Evaluate 91 + 90. [1]

(b) Find n, where 4n = 2n − 1. [2]

Q21 4024/12/O/N/18

21 (a) Evaluate 33 − 30. [1]

(b) Simplify [2]

Q16 4024/11/M/J/18
22 , Find s when t = 121. [1]
Q22(a) 4024/11/M/J/18
23 Express as a single fraction in its simplest form. [2]
Q9(b) 4024/12/M/J/18

24 (a) Evaluate 92 − 90 [1]

(b) Evaluate [1]

Q2 4024/11/O/N/17
25 Simplify [2]
Q15(b) 4024/11/O/N/17
26 ax = 5
(a) Find a2x [1]

(b) Find a−x [1]

Q12 4024/12/O/N/17

27 (a) Evaluate (i) 3−2 (ii) [1+1]

(b) Simplify [2]

Q18 4024/11/M/J/17
28 Find the value of k in each of the following.
(i) [1]
(ii) [1]
Q20(b) 4024/12/M/J/17
 ANSWERS/Marking Keys

7
8 (a) 400 1
2
(b) 1
3

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