Math basics › Exponents and logs
Exponent rules
Multiplying and dividing
xᵃ · xᵇ = xᵃ⁺ᵇ and xᵃ/xᵇ = xᵃ⁻ᵇ. Add when multiplying, subtract when dividing.
A power of a power
(xᵃ)ᵇ = xᵃᵇ. Multiply them.
Zero and negative
x⁰ = 1 for any x except 0. x⁻ᵃ = 1/xᵃ — a negative exponent means reciprocal, not a negative number.
Fractional
x^(1/n) is the nth root, and x^(m/n) is the nth root of xᵐ.