Start from zero — the basic math you need before everything else
An exponent (or power) is shorthand for multiplying a number by itself again and again. In 2³ the bottom number 2 is the base and the small raised 3 is the exponent. It means three copies of 2 multiplied: 2 × 2 × 2 = 8. The exponent counts how many copies.
Two special cases are worth knowing: any number to the power 1 is itself (x¹ = x), and any number to the power 0 is 1 (x⁰ = 1). A power of 2 is called a square (5² = 25), and a power of 3 a cube.
Exponents explode because each step doubles. Fold a sheet of paper once and it's 2 layers; fold again, 4; again, 8 — that's 2³. Or a rumour where each person tells two others: after 3 rounds it has reached 2 × 2 × 2 = 8 people. The exponent counts the rounds.
▶ Exponents