Intro to Exponents
10ⁿ is a 1 followed by n zeros: the exponent counts the zeros
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Writing 10×10×10 gets tiring, so mathematicians invented the shorthand 10³. The little number is the exponent — it tells how many tens are multiplied together. Stack the tower, count the zeros after each 1, and a secret appears: the exponent is exactly the number of zeros!
Stack a multiplying tower of tens: 10, 10×10, 10×10×10… Meet the shorthand 10² and 10³, and discover the exponent counts the zeros. Predict 10⁴ and 10⁵!