NumberExam Tips

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Part of Powers & Roots · GCSE GCSE Mathematics revision

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.

Topic position

Section 12 of 14

Practice

15 questions

Recall

22 flashcards

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

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Powers & Roots. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Higher Level: Fractional and Negative Indices Exam Tips The Power of Powers Understanding Powers and Roots

Practice Questions for Powers & Roots

What is the value of 2⁻³?

A. -8
B. -6
C. ⅛
D. ⅓

1 markfoundation

Explain why x⁻¹ = 1/x

2 markshigher

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

15 questions on Powers & Roots — practise free

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Higher Level: Fractional and Negative Indices

Exam Tips