Indices are a useful way of more simply expressing large numbers.

They also present us with many useful properties for manipulating

them using what are called the Law of Indices.

Our group investigate about how indices help us to solve
question in secondary school mathematics.We classify that the
seven law of indices that proven by Michael Stifel can solve
mathematical problem and manipulate expressions. These laws
only apply to expressions with the same base, for example, 3
4

and 3
2
can be manipulated using the Law of Indices, but we
cannot use the Law of Indices to manipulate the expressions 3
5

and 5
7
as their base differs (their bases are 3 and 5, respectively).

In conclusion, indices are not only the basic subtopic in
mathematics for secondary school students but can solve the
question that not related to indices by using the method of the
law.
History usually starts way back at the
beginning and then relates developmental
events to the present so you can
understand how you got to where you are.
With mathematics, in this case, exponents,
it will make much more sense to start with a
current understanding and meaning of
exponents and work backward to from
where they came. First and foremost, let's
make sure you understand what an
exponent is because it can get quite
complicated. In this case, we'll keep it
simple.

An exponent reflects a number multiplied by itself, like 2 times 2
equals 4. In exponential form that could be written 2, called two
squared. The raised 2 is the exponent and the lower case 2 is the
base number. If you wanted to write 2x2x2 it could be written as 2
or two to the third power. The same goes for any base number, 8
is 8x8 or 64. You get it. You could use any number as the base and
the number of times you want to multiply it by itself would
become the exponent.

Exponents comes from Latin, expo, meaning out of, and ponere,
meaning place. While the word exponent came to mean
different things, the first recorded modern use of exponent in
mathematics was in a book called "Arithemetica Integra," written
in 1544 by English author and mathematician Michael Stifel. But he
was working simply with a base of two, so the exponent 3 would
mean the number of 2s you would need to multiply to get 8. It
would look like this 2=8. The way Stifel would say it is kind of
backwards when compared to the way we think about it today.
He would say "3 is the 'setting out' of 8." Today, we would refer the
equation simply as 2 cubed. Remember, he was working
exclusively with a base or factor of 2 and translating from Latin a
little more literally than we do today.

1. To prove that a
m
* a
n
= a
(m+n)
.
Example 1 : Let us consider the base a = 2, let the value of indices
m and n be m=4, n=5.


LHS : a
m
* a
n
= 2
4
* 2
5
= (2 * 2 * 2 * 2) * (2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2) = 16 * 32 =
512.
RHS : a
(m+n)
= 2
9
= 512.
Since LHS = RHS, hence it is proved that a
m
* a
n
= a
(m+n)
.




Example 2 : Let us consider the base a = 10, let the value of indices
m and n be m=2, n=3.
LHS : a
m
* a
n
= 10
2
* 10
3
= (10 * 10) * (10 * 10 * 10) = 100 * 1000 =
100000.
RHS : a
(m+n)
= 10
5
= 100000.
Since LHS = RHS, hence it is proved that a
m
* a
n
= a
(m+n)
.


2. To prove that a
(-m)
= 1 / a
m
.
Multiply both the LHS and the RHS by a
m

a
(-m)
* a
m
= (1 / a
m
) * a
m
.
From first law of indices proved above, LHS becomes a
(m-m)
= a
0
.
In the RHS, the numerator and the denominator cancel each other out to
give a resultant of 1.
Thus a
(m-m)
= 1, which means that a
(-m)
* a
m
= 1.
This gives a
(-m)
= 1/ a
m
.






3. From the above two proofs, the third law of indices
a
m
/ a
n
= a
(m-n)
, a 0.
can be easily deduced.
The condition a 0 is important, because if a = 0, the expression will
become infinite.
If m > n, the index of the expression on the RHS, that is (m-n), will be a
positive number.
If m< n, the index of the expression on the RHS, the is (m-n), will be a
negative number. In this case the second law of indices will have to be
applied to obtain the value.

4. To prove that (a
m
)
n
= a
(m * n)


Example 1 : Let us consider the base a = 7, let the value of indices m and n be m=2,
n=5.
LHS : (a
m
)
n
= (7
2
)
5
= ( 7 * 7 )
5
= 49
5
= 49 * 49 * 49 * 49 * 49 = 282475249 .
RHS : a
(m * n)
= 7
10
= 7 * 7 * 7 * 7 * 7 * 7 * 7 * 7 * 7 * 7 = 282475249 .
Thus, LHS = RHS, hence it is proved that (a
m
)
n
= a
(m * n)
.

Example 2 : Let us consider the base a = 1/2, let the value of indices m and n be
m=1, n=2.
LHS : (a
m
)
n
= ( (1/2)
1
)
2
= (1/2)
2
= * = .
RHS : a
(m * n)
= (1/2)
2
= * = .
Thus LHS = RHS, hence it is proved that (a
m
)
n
= a
(m * n)
.


5. To prove that (a * b)
m
= a
m
* b
m
.
Example 1 : Let us consider the base a = 2 and b = 3, let the value of index m be m =
2 .
LHS : (a * b)
m
= ( 2 * 3 )
2
= 6
2
= 6 * 6 = 36 .
RHS : a
m
* b
m
= 2
2
* 3
2
= 4 * 9 = 36 .
Thus LHS = RHS, hence it is proved that (a * b)
m
= a
m
* b
m
.
Example 2 : Let us consider the base a = 4 and b = 9, let the value of index m be m =
.
LHS : (a * b)
m
= ( 4 * 9 )
1/2
= 36
1/2
= 6 .
RHS : a
m
* b
m
= 4
1/2
* 9
1/2
= 2 * 3 = 6.
Thus LHS = RHS, hence it is proved that (a * b)
m
= a
m
* b
m
.

6. From the 1
st
, 2
nd
and the 5
th
laws of indices
the 6
th
law of indices can also be proved. Thus,
(a/b)
m
= a
m
/ b
m
, b 0.
The condition b 0 is necessary, otherwise the
expression will become infinite with 0 in the
denominator.


7. The 7
th
law of indices a
0
= 1 is already proved
above in the 2
nd
law of indices.
1.a
m
xa
n
x a
x
=a
m+n+x


Example:
11
1
x 11
5
x 11
2

=11
1+5+2

=11
8



2. (a
m
xb
m
)
n
= a
mn
x b
mn


Example:
(5
3
x 7
5
)
7

=5
3x7
x7
5x7

=5
21
x 7
35


3.a
m/n
= ( a
-1/n
)
m
=1/(
n
a)
m


Example:
16
-3/4

=1/(
4
16)
3

=1/2
3

=1/8


4.a
-n
= 1/a
n


Example:
1/2m
=(2m)
-1




Index Law for Multiplication (1
st
Index Law)

Simplify:






Note:
Multiply the numerical coefficients first, and then apply the index law.


Index Law for Division (2
nd
Index Law)
Simplify:






















Note:
Simplify the numerical coefficients first, and then apply the index law.

Power of Zero (3
rd
Index Law)
Simplify:




Index Law for Powers (4th Index Laws)
Simplify:





Note:
Always remove brackets first.

Index Law for Powers of Products (5
th
Index Law)
Simplify:






Index Law for Powers of Quotients (6
th
Index Law)
Simplify:





Indices Equation


It is known that 2
3
=2x2x2 and 4
5
=4x4x4x4x4 . Thus if a is a real number and n is a integer , then a
n
=axaxax.....a
n
(n factors)

If a
n
, a is the base and n the exponent , which is also known as the index , a
n
is read as a to the power of n .

The Law Of Exponents
Important Result From Exponential Laws

Compare the exponential law a
m
/a
n
=a
m-n
,(a>0) and a
m
xa
n
=a
m+n
.

When m= n , then a
n
/a
n
=a
n-n
.

1=a
0


a
o
=1

When m=o , then a
0
/a
n
=a
o-n
.

a
0
/a
n
=a
-n
.
1/a
n
=a
-n .



Example
:

8
2/3
=(8
1/3
)
2


=(
=(2
2
)
2


= 4





Exponential Equations

Example:


(a)8
x
=32

SOLUTION:

Expressing both sides of the
equation with the same base 2 ,
(2
3
)
x
=2
5

2
3x
=2
5


Equating

the exponent , we get
3x=5
X=3/5




(b)2
2x
-5.2
x
+4=0

SOLUTION:

(2
X
)
2
-5.2
X
+4=0.........{1}
Let y=2
x
and substituting into
{1},
y
2
-5y+4=o .

Hence,
(y-1)(y-4)=0

Therefore ,

y-1=0 or y-4=0
y=1 y=4
2
x
=1 2
x
=4
2
x
=2
0
2
x
=2
2


Therefore,
x=0 or x=2
The indices are a very easy and
convenient method for expressing
very large or very small numbers. In
case of small numbers, the index is
negative and in case of large
numbers the index is positive. All
the laws of indices are useful in
many calculations. These laws are
valid for all real numbers, whether
integers or fractions.