Unit 7, Lesson 5
What about Other Bases?
Accelerated 7
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In this lesson, students use their understanding of exponent rules with powers of 10 to make sense of exponent rules for powers of other bases. Students begin by comparing expressions with both positive and negative bases. Then they work through problems analogous to the ones used to develop exponent rules for powers of 10. The same underlying patterns emerge, revealing the fact that the exponent rules are the same for bases other than 10 (MP8). For simplicity, students do not develop general exponent rules for negative bases. Students continue to practice applying their understanding of exponent rules by analyzing lists of exponential expressions and determining which expressions are not equivalent.
- Generalize exponent rules for nonzero bases, including bases other than 10.
- Use exponent rules to identify (in writing) equivalent exponential expressions, and explain (orally) the reasoning.
Let’s explore exponent patterns with bases other than 10.
Required Preparation
Create a new set of visual displays that generalize the exponent rules. A sample display can be seen in the Lesson Synthesis.