| Math Mojo - Making Math Meaningful |
This was the question:
I would like to know what rule explains this; and where can I find it?
1 -> 1
2 -> 8
3 -> 27
4 -> 64
Professor Homunculus' answer:
What you are looking for is not actually a “rule.” It is a sequence.
1 to the third power = 1 (that is the same as 1*1*1)
2 to the third power = 8 (that is the same as 2*2*2)
3 to the third power = 27 (that is the same as 3*3*3
4 to the third power = 64 (that is the same as 4*4*4)
Any number “to the third power” means “that number times itself, three times.”
You can find out more about exponents at this lesson.
It is very important not to just “get” this answer and leave it at that. It is more important to actually learn what powers (also called “exponents”) are and how they work.
I recently read a brilliant quote. It said “Not reading is the same as not being able to read.”
Not actually doing and practicing math is the same as not being able to understand it. Math can be so amazingly cool. But it is not like the immature kind of coolness you get from wearing trendy clothes or doing what other people do. That kind of “cool” soon wears off, and is childish. Using your brain, training it, understanding the deeper meaning of things – that is so much more rewarding than being cool to others. It is being cool to yourself, and you will spend much more time with yourself than with anyone else.
I hope this helped!
Professor Homunculus)
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