Question

Write the expression in exponential form. two to the \(x\) th power

Short answer

The expression in exponential form is \(2^x\).

Step-by-step solution

Identify the base and the exponent

In the phrase 'two to the \(x\)th power', the base is the number 'two' and the exponent is represented by the variable \(x\).

Formulate the expression

Now write the expression by placing the base and then raising it to the power of \(x\). So the algebraic representation of 'two to the \(x\)th power' will be \(2^x\).

Key concepts

Base and Exponent

The concept of 'base and exponent' is foundational in understanding how numbers can be expressed powerfully and succinctly in algebra.

When we talk about a base, we are referring to the number that is being multiplied by itself. The exponent, on the other hand, is a small superscript number that tells us how many times the base is used as a factor in the multiplication.

For instance, in the expression \(2^x\), the base is \(2\), which is the number that will get multiplied by itself, and the exponent is \(x\), indicating how many times to multiply the base. For different values of \(x\), this exponent dictates the total product. So, if \(x = 3\), we are looking at \(2\) multiplied by itself \(3\) times, which would be \(2\times 2\times 2 = 8\).

It's essential to note that an exponent can be any real number: it can be positive, negative, or even a fraction, which correspond to various mathematical operations like repeated multiplication, inverses, and roots.

Writing Expressions

Writing expressions in algebra is like translating words into a numeric and symbolic language that represents mathematical relationships.

As seen in the step-by-step solution, the phrase 'two to the \(x\)th power' can be distilled into the expression \(2^x\). This process involves identifying numbers and operations described in words and representing them using algebraic symbols. A good practice when writing expressions is to clearly identify quantities and operations.

For example, if someone says 'the product of five and a number', one could represent this as \(5\cdot n\) in algebraic form. Here, \(5\) is a known number and \(n\) could be any number — it's what we call a variable, a symbol that stands in for a number we don't know yet or one that can change.

Algebraic Representation

Algebraic representation is all about using symbols to stand for numbers and operations, allowing us to work with unknowns and formulas in a flexible way.

This symbolic shorthand transforms the way we tackle mathematical problems. Instead of saying 'two multiplied by itself an unknown number of times', we write \(2^x\). This expression applies to any instance where we have a two raised to some power \(x\), whatever value \(x\) might take on.

Algebraic expressions can get much more complex, involving multiple terms and operations, but the principle remains the same: numbers and operations are represented with symbols in the most concise way possible. Furthermore, this representation makes it much easier to perform operations such as simplification, factorization, and solving equations.