CLASS-6
POWER & ROOTS

POWER & ROOTS -

Powers and roots are fundamental mathematical operations related to exponentiation and finding the inverse of exponents, respectively. Let me explain each of them in more detail:

  1. Powers (Exponents):- In mathematics, raising a number to a power means multiplying the number by itself multiple times.Powers and roots are mathematical operations that involve raising a number to a certain exponent or finding the inverse operation of raising a number to an exponent. The number being multiplied is called the base, and the number of times it is multiplied by itself is called the exponent. In mathematics, raising a number to a certain exponent is referred to as "taking a power" or "raising to a power." The basic form of this operation is expressed as "base^exponent" or "base^power."

The general form for expressing powers is: a^b

Here, "a" is the base, and "b" is the exponent. It indicates that "a" is multiplied by itself "b" times.

For example:-

  • 2^3 = 2 * 2 * 2 = 8   (2 raised to the power of 3 equals 8).
  • 4^2 = 4 * 4 = 16      (4 raised to the power of 2 equals 16).

When the exponent is 1, any number raised to the power of 1 is the number itself:

  • 5^1 = 5    (5 raised to the power of 1 is 5).

When the exponent is 0, any nonzero number raised to the power of 0 is 1:

  • 7^0 = 1    (7 raised to the power of 0 is 1).
  • 2^3 means 2 raised to the power of 3, which equals 2 * 2 * 2 = 8.
  • 4^2 means 4 raised to the power of 2, which equals 4 * 4 = 16.

Here are some important properties of powers:

  • Any number raised to the power of 0 is equal to 1. For example, x^0 = 1 for any value of x (except when x = 0, in which case x^0 is undefined).
  • Any number raised to the power of 1 is equal to itself. For example, x^1 = x for any value of x.
  • When multiplying two numbers with the same base raised to different exponents, you can add the exponents. For example, x^a * x^b = x^(a + b).
  • When raising a power to another exponent, you can multiply the exponents. For example, (x^a)^b = x^(a * b).


  1. Roots:- A root is the inverse operation of taking a power. Finding the "nth root" of a number means finding a value that, when raised to the power of "n," gives the original number.

The general form for expressing roots is: √(a)

Here, "a" is the number whose root we want to find, and the index (or degree) of the root is not explicitly mentioned and assumed to be 2 (square root) if not specified otherwise.

For example:-

  • √(25) = 5    (The square root of 25 is 5).
  • √(64) = 8    (The square root of 64 is 8).

Cubed root (∛) and higher roots are also common:

  • ∛(27) = 3    (The cube root of 27 is 3).
  • ⁴√(81) = 3   (The fourth root of 81 is 3).

Raising a number to a fractional power is equivalent to taking the root of that number. For example:

  • 2^(1/2) = √(2) ≈ 1.414 (The square root of 2 is approximately 1.414).
  • 8^(1/3) = ∛(8) = 2      (The cube root of 8 is 2).
  • The square root (√) is a type of "nth root" where "n" is 2. The square root of 25 (√25) is the number that, when squared (raised to the power of 2), equals 25. So, √25 = 5 because 5^2 = 25.
  • The cube root (∛) is another type of "nth root" where "n" is 3. The cube root of 27 (∛27) is the number that, when cubed (raised to the power of 3), equals 27. So, ∛27 = 3 because 3^3 = 27.

Here are some important properties of roots:-

  • The square root (√) is the most common type of root and is represented by "n = 2."
  • The cube root (∛) is another commonly used root and is represented by "n = 3."
  • Higher-order roots are represented by "n = 4," "n = 5," etc., for the fourth root, fifth root, and so on.
  • When taking the root of a product, you can take the root of each factor individually. For example, the square root of (x * y) is √x * √y.
  • When taking the root of a power, you can divide the exponent by the root's index. For example, the cube root of x^6 is (x^6)^(1/3) = x^(6/3) = x^2.

It's important to understand powers and roots as they are fundamental operations used in various mathematical calculations and problem-solving scenarios.

These concepts are essential in various mathematical calculations and have numerous applications in different fields, such as science, engineering, finance, and computer science.