Section 1.5: Exponents and Prime Factorization
Homework Hints

Problems 1-4
There are many problems throughout the text labeled IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Just relax. Do not be afraid to give your opinion. For the most part, these questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. You should spend about five minutes in answering each of these questions.

Problems 5-8
These are problems dealing with terminology; see Example 1. For example 10² is commonly called one hundred. The base is 10 and the exponent is 2. From the definition 10² means 10x10.

Problems 9-16
See Example 2.

Problems 17-30
See Examples 1 and 2. For example, 4.5x10⁴ means move the decimal point four places to the right so 4.5x10⁴ = 45,000. On the other hand, 4.5x10 ⁴ means move the decimal point four places to the left so 4.510 = 0.00045. Use the definition of exponent for a number like 4 to write 4 = 4x4x4x4x4 = 1,204.

Problems 31-39
Use a factor tree; see Examples 4-7.

Problems 40-45
Do not use paper-and-pencil or a calculator. These problems are designed to give you estimation practice, so you should do your best by estimating these in your head.

Problems 46-49
See Example 2.

Problems 50-53
See Example 3.

Problems 54-55
Do not use paper-and-pencil or a calculator. These problems are designed to give you estimation practice, so you should do your best by estimating these in your head.

Note: Homework Hints are given only for the levels 1 and 2 problems. You can also check some sources for homework help on the Internet (see Links, below), or you can call the author at
(707) 829-0606 or send an e-mail to: smithkjs@mathnature.com