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Math · Foundational

Powers & Roots

Powers let us write enormous and tiny numbers compactly, from the width of an atom to the size of the universe. Master the exponent rules, feel the explosive power of doubling, make sense of roots and estimate them, use scientific notation fluently, tour the universe in powers of ten, and learn to estimate almost anything to within a factor of ten.

7 lessons~40 min0/7 complete
1

Exponents

Repeated multiplication, its rules and its power.

  1. Exponent RulesWhy the rules work
  2. The Power of DoublingExponential beats everything
  3. RootsUndoing powers
  4. Estimating RootsBetween the perfect squares
2

Big and Small

Scientific notation, scale and estimation.

  1. Scientific NotationWriting huge and tiny numbers
  2. Powers of TenA tour of scale
  3. Fermi EstimatesEstimating almost anything

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