Early in the 17th century, the first form of our modern exponential notation was introduced by René Descartes in his text titled La Géométrie; there, the notation is introduced in Book I. Descartes used exponents only for powers greater than two, preferring to represent squares as repeated multiplication.
LAWS OF INDICES
Can you raise a number to a fraction?
Key questions
Can we use index notation?
What does it mean to find the root of a number?
Can we problem solve with roots and powers?
Can we simplify products and quotients?
Do we understand the laws of indices?
Can we write any number in standard form?
How do we calculate with standard form?
5 lessons
Specification detail
Literacy
stories that set a frame or background
stories that accompany or intertwine
stories that introduce
stories that explain
stories that ask a question
stories that entertain
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Descartes
Introduce...
squares - 1, 2, 3
cubes - 1, 2, 3
squaring the square - 1, 2, 3
difference in powers - 1, 3
simplify - 1
codebreaker - 6
decode the joke - 6
odd one out - 6
Develop...
power lines - 5
more power lines - 5
power problems calculator - 3, 5
power problems no calculator - 3, 4, 5
using indices - 2, 5
power spiders - 4, 5
index laws fluency - 4, 5
nrich powers and roots - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
maths4everyone standard form - 6, 7
standard form n4 - 6
Extend...
power countdown - 5
indices equations - 3, 5
powers and roots - 4, 5
sum and difference of cube numbers - 3
shifting bases - 3, 5
powers puzzle - 3, 4, 5
giantburgers - 6, 7
hairy thoughts - 6, 7
standard form calculations - 6, 7
standard form exam questions - 6, 7