Explore IDNLearn.com to discover insightful answers from experts and enthusiasts alike. Our experts provide prompt and accurate answers to help you make informed decisions on any topic.

Why do whole numbers raised to an exponent get greater, while fractions raised to an exponent get smaller?

Sagot :


-- A whole number raised to an exponent means putting a
whole number of apples into a basket many times.

-- A fraction raised to an exponent means taking a piece
of a piece of a piece of a piece many times.


Exponents are multiplying the number that has the exponent by itself how many number of times the exponent is. I worded this kinda weirdly, so here's an example. 2^4. 2 is the number that has the exponent, and 4 is the exponent. Now you would do 2x2x2x2. So 2^4 = 16. However if you use fractions, you are multiplying the fraction by itself how many number of times, making the fraction even smaller. So 1/2^4 would result in 1/2*1/2*1/2*1/2 or 1/16, which is smaller than 1/2.