What does the exponent in an expression indicate?

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The exponent in an expression indicates how many times the base is multiplied by itself. It is a shorthand notation used in mathematics to represent repeated multiplication.

For example, in the expression $$ a^n $$:
- $$ a $$ is the base.
- $$ n $$ is the exponent.

This means that $$ a $$ is multiplied by itself $$ n $$ times.

Here are a few key points about exponents:

1. **Positive Exponents**: If $$ n $$ is a positive integer, $$ a^n = a 	imes a 	imes a 	imes \ldots $$ (n times).

2. **Zero Exponent**: Any non-zero number raised to the power of zero is equal to 1, i.e., $$ a^0 = 1 $$ (for $$ a 
eq 0 $$).

3. **Negative Exponents**: A negative exponent indicates the reciprocal of the base raised to the absolute value of the exponent, i.e., $$ a^{-n} = \frac{1}{a^n} $$ (for $$ a 
eq 0 $$).

4. **Fractional Exponents**: A fractional exponent indicates a root. For example, $$ a^{\frac{1}{n}} $$ represents the $$ n $$-th root of $$ a $$.

Understanding exponents is fundamental in algebra and is widely used in various fields of mathematics and science.
The exponent in an expression shows how many times the base is multiplied by itself. For example, in $$ a^n $$, $$ a $$ is multiplied by itself $$ n $$ times.

What does the exponent in an expression indicate?

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