Week 2 – Math 11 – Fractional Powers

This week is where the learning begins, as we have learned a new concept; fractional powers…

My thoughts of fractional powers when I first heard of them weren’t pleasant, but those thoughts soon faded when I learned that they aren’t nearly as complicated as I thought they would be.

To explain simply, fractional powers follow 2 simple rules:

Denominator (bottom) = Root

Numerator (top) = Power

These rules are how I remember things, but they can be further cemented with this simple phrase.

Flower Power.

The reason this phrase helps one to remember these rules is because the roots of a flower are on the bottom, and such is the same for fractional exponents.

Some people are visual learners, so I will now provide some examples.

$x^\frac {1}{2}$ = $\sqrt {x}$