Exponent and Power
Exponent and power are terms used when a number is multiplied by itself a specific number of times. The difference between exponents and power is an extremely minor observation that most of the time is neglected. There is a very thin line of difference between exponent and power. We will be understanding exponents and powers along with their difference in this article.
| 1. | What are Exponent and Power? |
| 2. | What is the Difference between Exponent and Power? |
| 3. | FAQs on Exponent and Power |
What are Exponent and Power?
When a number is multiplied by itself a finite number of times, the number being multiplied is called the base number, and the number of times it is being multiplied is called the exponent. Suppose a number is being multiplied by itself n number of times, then this expression is called the nth power of the given number. So, to summarize, we can say that an exponent is the number of times a given number is being multiplied by itself and power is the value of the product of the base number raised to an exponent.
Difference between Exponent and Power
Exponential notation or the exponential form of numbers helps us to express and represent extremely large and small numbers in a very convenient way. For example, 10000000000000 can be represented as 1 × 1013 whereas 0.0000000000000007 can be represented as 7 × 10-16. This improves the readability of numbers and helps us to maintain the accuracy of numbers and saves our time. Before going into the difference between exponent and power, let's understand what is an exponent and power.
Exponent and Power Meaning
Let us take an example to understand the definition of exponent and power. Consider 6 × 6 × 6 × 6. We know that, in exponential form, 6 × 6 × 6 × 6 can be written as 64 since the number 6 is getting multiplied by itself four times. The exponent of a number is defined as the number of times a number is multiplied by itself. Here, in 6 × 6 × 6 × 6, the number 6 is multiplied by itself four times which is also represented as 64. Here, 6 is the base, and 4 is the exponent.
Power is defined as the whole expression of repeated multiplication that includes the base and the exponent. In the given example 6 × 6 × 6 × 6, the exponential form is 64. We can say this as "6 raised to the power of 4" where 6 is the base and 4 is the exponent. In other words, 64 is called the 4th power of 6. Hence, the definition of power is for the whole expression of exponential form.
Exponent Vs Power
Let us now tabulate the difference between exponent and power as shown below.
| Exponent | Power |
|---|---|
| Exponent refers to the number of times a number is used in a multiplication. | Power can be defined as a number being multiplied by itself a specific number of times. |
| Exponent is the number to which a number is raised so as to define its power as a whole expression. | When a number is raised to a certain degree using an exponent, the number or expression of the number as a whole is known as the power. |
| Exponent is always written as a superscript of the number to which the power is raised. | Power is the whole expression including the base and the exponent. It has no specific position in that context. |
| Exponent just has one part, the superscript number. | A power, as used to describe an expression of a large number, has two parts, the base, and the exponent. |
Important Notes on Exponent and Power
- An exponent is the number of times a given number is being multiplied by itself.
- The expression when a number is being multiplied by itself n number of times is called the nth power of the given number.
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FAQs on Exponent and Power
Is there a Difference between Exponent and Power?
Yes, there is a very small difference between exponent and power. Exponent refers to the number of times a number is used in a multiplication whereas power can be defined as the number of times a number is multiplied by itself.
What is the Main Difference between Exponent and Power?
The main difference between exponent and power is that exponent is the number to which a number is raised so as to define its power whereas power is defined for the whole expression of repeated multiplication that includes the base and the exponent.
What's the Difference between Power and Exponent?
Powers and exponents are defined for any number that undergoes repetitive multiplication with itself. Exponent is determined by the number of times a base is getting multiplied by itself and power is defined for the whole expression including the base and exponent. For example, in 75, the base is 7 and the exponent is 5. In terms of power, it can be said that 7 is raised to the power of 5.
How to Compare Exponents and Powers?
Exponents and powers can be compared for equal bases. For equal bases, we just check the exponents to compare the results. For example, to compare 92 and 95, we will look into the exponent to compare them as the bases are equal that is 9. Since 2 is lesser than 5 we can say that 92 is lesser than 95.
Why are Exponents Referred to as Powers?
Exponents are known by different names such as indices and powers. The exponent of a number is defined as the number of times a number is multiplied by itself. Power is defined for the whole expression of repeated multiplication that includes the base and the exponent.