This exam tips covers Common Mistakes to Avoid within Powers & Roots for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Powers & Roots in Number for GCSE Mathematics with 15 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 12 of 14 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Wrong: 2³ = 6
✅ Right: 2³ = 8
Powers mean multiply, not add: 2×2×2 not 2×3
❌ Wrong: √9 = ±3
✅ Right: √9 = 3
Square root symbol means positive root only
❌ Wrong: (-2)² = -4
✅ Right: (-2)² = 4
Negative × negative = positive
❌ Wrong: -4² = 16
✅ Right: -4² = -16
Without brackets: square first, then apply negative
Practice questions for Powers & Roots
What is the value of 2⁻³?
Explain why x⁻¹ = 1/x
Quick recall flashcards
Cubes: 1³ to 5³
1³ = 1
2³ = 8
3³ = 27
4³ = 64
5³ = 125
Powers of 10
10¹ = 10
10² = 100
10³ = 1,000
10⁴ = 10,000
10⁵ = 100,000
10⁶ = 1,000,000
Pattern: n zeros after 1