Question

When multiplying exponents, such as `x` times `x`, would the answer be `x^2` or `2x`?

Answer 1

`x^2`

Explanation:

Recall that an exponent tells us how many times a value is multiplied by itself.

For example:

• `color(red)2^color(blue)2` means to multiply `color(red)2` by itself `color(blue)("two")` times
• `color(red)4^color(blue)1` means to multiply `color(red)4` by itself `color(blue)("once")`
• `color(red)x^color(blue)3` means to multiply `color(red)x` by itself `color(blue)("three")` times

In your case, `x^2` means that `x` is multiplied by itself `2` times, or "`x*x`".

In contrast, `2x` means `x` is multiplied by `2`. You can think of `2x` as being "`x+x`" (`x` plus `x`).