This exam tips covers Common Mistakes to Avoid within Index Laws for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Index Laws in Number for GCSE Mathematics with 14 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 12 of 13 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Topic position
Section 12 of 13
Practice
14 questions
Recall
22 flashcards
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Wrong: 2³ × 3² = 6⁵
✅ Right: Cannot combine - different bases
Index laws only work with same base
❌ Wrong: (2³)⁴ = 2⁷
✅ Right: (2³)⁴ = 2¹²
Multiply powers, don't add
❌ Wrong: 5⁰ = 0
✅ Right: 5⁰ = 1
Any number to power 0 equals 1 (except 0⁰)
❌ Wrong: 2⁻³ = -8
✅ Right: 2⁻³ = 1/8
Negative power ≠ negative number