"What did I learn today and how did I work the problems?" Laws of Exponents: The Quotient Rule
Today, I learned about the Quotient Rule of exponents. This rule states that when dividing two exponential terms with the same base, you subtract the exponent in the denominator from the exponent in the numerator. In other words, if you have a^m / a^n, where a is a non-zero real number and m and n are integers, then a^m / a^n = a^(m-n).
To work problems involving the Quotient Rule, I followed these steps:
1. Identify the base of the exponential terms in the expression.
2. Determine the exponents in the numerator and denominator of the expression.
3. Apply the Quotient Rule by subtracting the exponent in the denominator from the exponent in the numerator to simplify the expression.
For example, if I have 3^5 / 3^2, I would subtract 2 from 5 to get 3^(5-2) = 3^3. Therefore, 3^5 / 3^2 = 3^3.
By practicing problems involving the Quotient Rule, I was able to better understand how exponents work with division and improve my skills in simplifying exponential expressions.