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Absolute Values
Solving Two-Step Equations Algebraically
Multiplying Monomials
Factoring Trinomials
Solving Quadratic Equations
Power Functions and Transformations
Composition of Functions
Rational Inequalities
Equations of Lines
Graphing Logarithmic Functions
Elimination Using Multiplication
Multiplying Large Numbers
Multiplying by 11
Graphing Absolute Value Inequalities
Polynomials
The Discriminant
Reducing Numerical Fractions to Simplest Form
Addition of Algebraic Fractions
Graphing Inequalities in Two Variables
Adding and Subtracting Rational Expressions with Unlike Denominators
Multiplying Binomials
Graphing Linear Inequalities
Properties of Numbers and Definitions
Factoring Trinomials
Relatively Prime Numbers
Point
Inequalities
Rotating a Hyperbola
Writing Algebraic Expressions
Quadratic and Power Inequalities
Solving Quadratic Equations by Completing the Square
BEDMAS & Fractions
Solving Absolute Value Equations
Writing Linear Equations in Slope-Intercept Form
Adding and Subtracting Rational Expressions with Different Denominators
Reducing Rational Expressions
Solving Absolute Value Equations
Equations of a Line - Slope-intercept form
Adding and Subtracting Rational Expressions with Unlike Denominators
Solving Equations with a Fractional Exponent
Simple Trinomials as Products of Binomials
Equivalent Fractions
Multiplying Polynomials
Slope
Graphing Equations in Three Variables
Properties of Exponents
Graphing Linear Inequalities
Solving Cubic Equations by Factoring
Adding and Subtracting Fractions
Multiplying Whole Numbers
Straight Lines
Solving Absolute Value Equations
Solving Nonlinear Equations
Factoring Polynomials by Finding the Greatest Common Factor
Logarithms
Algebraic Expressions Containing Radicals 1
Addition Property of Equality
Three special types of lines
Quadratic Inequalities That Cannot Be Factored
Adding and Subtracting Fractions
Coordinate System
Solving Equations
Factoring Polynomials
Solving Quadratic Equations
Multiplying Radical Expressions
Solving Quadratic Equations Using the Square Root Property
The Slope of a Line
Square Roots
Adding Polynomials
Arithmetic with Positive and Negative Numbers
Solving Equations
Powers and Roots of Complex Numbers
Adding, Subtracting and Finding Least Common Denominators
What the Factored Form of a Quadratic can tell you about the graph
Plotting a Point
Solving Equations with Variables on Each Side
Finding the GCF of a Set of Monomials
Completing the Square
Solving Equations with Radicals and Exponents
Solving Systems of Equations By Substitution
Adding and Subtracting Rational Expressions
Percents
Laws of Exponents and Dividing Monomials
Factoring Special Quadratic Polynomials
Radicals
Solving Quadratic Equations by Completing the Square
Reducing Numerical Fractions to Simplest Form
Factoring Trinomials
Writing Decimals as Fractions
Using the Rules of Exponents
Evaluating the Quadratic Formula
Rationalizing the Denominator
Multiplication by 429
Writing Linear Equations in Point-Slope Form
Multiplying Radicals
Dividing Polynomials by Monomials
Factoring Trinomials
Introduction to Fractions
Square Roots
   
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Laws of Exponents and Dividing Monomials

What happens when we divide powers? Let's analyze this by dividing various powers of 2.

Try to make a conjecture about dividing powers that have the same base.

In both cases, the result is the original base raised to the power given by the difference of the two exponents.

For ,

and for .

The table on the left shows what happens when a power of 2 is divided by 2 1 . The table on the right shows what happens when a power of 2 is divided by 2 2

In the table on the left, notice the powers that result. Each resulting power can be found by subtracting 1 from the exponent of the original power. In the table on the right, each resulting power can be found by subtracting 2 from the exponent of the original power. This agrees with our original observation that when we divide two powers with the same base, the exponent of the resulting power is the difference of the exponents of the two dividends.

Consider another case. Let's divide a 4 by a 2. To do this, expand a 4 into a · a · a · a and a 2 into a · a . Next place them into the fraction

We can now cancel two a's from both numerator and denominator.

Cancellation is a shorthand process involving the properties of fractions. Also, point out that any number raised to the first power is that number itself.

After canceling, we find that .

In general, when we write the quotient and expand it into products of a's, the result is

which shows why this fact is valid.

Key Idea

When we divide a power of a by another smaller power of a , the result is a power of a , in which the exponent is the difference of the exponents of the two dividends. In symbols,

This holds true for any nonzero number a and whole numbers b and c.

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