What Do You Do With a Zero Exponent?

What Do You Do With a Zero Exponent?

Note:

A lot of people get a little uneasy when they see 0, especially when that 0 is the exponent in some expression. After all, there seem to be so many rules about 0, and so many special cases where you're not allowed to do something. Well it turns out that a zero in the exponent is one of the best things that you can have, because it makes the expression really easy to figure out. Watch this tutorial, and next time you see 0 in the exponent, you'll know exactly what to do!

Keywords:

  • definition
  • property
  • exponent
  • power
  • zero
  • zero power
  • zero exponent

Background Tutorials

  • Evaluating Expressions

      • What is the Substitution Property of Equality?What is the Substitution Property of Equality?

      What is the Substitution Property of Equality?

      If you ever plug a value in for a variable into an expression or equation, you're using the Substitution Property of Equality. This property allows you to substitute quantities for each other into an expression as long as those quantities are equal. Watch this tutorial to learn about this useful property!

  • Rules of Exponents

      • What are Exponents?What are Exponents?

      What are Exponents?

      Did you know that another word for 'exponent' is 'power'? To learn the meaning of these words and to see some special cases involving exponents, check out this tutorial!

  • Working with Exponents

  • Rules of Exponents

      • What's the Quotient of Powers Rule?What's the Quotient of Powers Rule?

      What's the Quotient of Powers Rule?

      Working with exponents can be lots of fun, as long as you understand how they work. In this tutorial you'll see how exponents add when you divide the same number raised to different exponents!

Further Exploration

  • Negative and Zero Exponents

      • What Do You Do With a Negative Exponent?What Do You Do With a Negative Exponent?

      What Do You Do With a Negative Exponent?

      Do you ever panic when you see a negative number in the exponent of some mathematical expression? Well if you do, then panic no more! This tutorial will help you overcome your fear, and will help you understand what negative exponents actually mean :)