Use adaptive quiz-based learning to study this topic faster and more effectively.

Laws of indices

There are three laws of indices. They relate operations on exponents with the same base to operations on the indices.

• Addition of indices: When the exponents are multiplied, the powers are added. $$\Tblue{3}^\Tred{2} \times \Tblue{3}^\Torange{5} = (\Tblue{3} \times \Tblue{3}) \times (\Tblue{3} \times \Tblue{3} \times \Tblue{3} \times \Tblue{3} \times \Tblue{3}) = \Tblue{3}^7 = \Tblue{3}^{\Tred{2}+\Torange{5}}$$
• Subtraction of indices: When the exponents are divided, the powers are subtracted. \begin{align*} \Tblue{2}^\Tred{4} \div \Tblue{2}^\Torange{2} &= (\Tblue{2} \times \Tblue{2} \times \Tblue{2} \times \Tblue{2}) \div (\Tblue{2} \times \Tblue{2}) \\&= \frac{\Tblue{2} \times \Tblue{2} \times \Tblue{2} \times \Tblue{2}}{\Tblue{2} \times \Tblue{2}} = \Tblue{2}^2 = \Tblue{2}^{\Tred{4}-\Torange{2}} \end{align*}
• Multiplication of indices: When an exponent is raised to a power, the powers are multiplied. $$(\Tblue{3}^\Tred{2})^\Torange{3} = (\Tblue{3} \times \Tblue{3}) \times (\Tblue{3} \times \Tblue{3}) \times (\Tblue{3} \times \Tblue{3}) = \Tblue{3}^6 = \Tblue{3}^{\Tred{2} \times\Torange{3}}$$
Index Exponent Formula Example
$+$ $\times$ $\Tblue{a}^{\Tred{x}+\Torange{y}}=\Tblue{a}^\Tred{x}\Tblue{a}^\Torange{y}$ $\Tblue{2}^{\Tred{2}+\Torange{1}} = \Tblue{2}^\Tred{2}\cdot \Tblue{2}^\Torange{1} = \Tblue{2}^3$
$-$ $\div$ $\displaystyle \Tblue{a}^{\Tred{x}-\Torange{y}}=\frac{\Tblue{a}^\Tred{x}}{\Tblue{a}^\Torange{y}}$ $\displaystyle \Tblue{2}^{\Tred{5}-\Torange{2}} = \frac{\Tblue{2}^\Tred{5}}{\Tblue{2}^\Torange{2}} = \Tblue{2}^3$
$\times$ Power $(\Tblue{a}^{\Tred{x}})^{\Torange{y}}=\Tblue{a}^{\Tred{x}\Torange{y}}$ $(\Tblue{2}^\Tred{2})^\Torange{2}= \Tblue{2}^{\Tred{2}\times \Torange{2}} = \Tblue{2}^4$