Exam Tips

Part of Powers & Roots · Section 13 of 14

Exam TipsUnit: NumberGCSE

This exam tips covers Exam Tips 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 13 of 14 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.

Exam Tips

  • Memorize: Squares 1-20 and cubes 1-10
  • Estimation: Use perfect squares as anchors
  • Check answers: Square your root to verify
  • Brackets matter: (-x)² ≠ -x²
  • Calculator: Use x² and √ buttons carefully

Practice questions for Powers & Roots

What is the value of 2⁻³?

  • A. -8
  • B. -6
  • C.
  • D.
1 markfoundation

Explain why x⁻¹ = 1/x

2 markshigher

Quick recall flashcards

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
Cubes: 1³ to 5³
1³ = 1 2³ = 8 3³ = 27 4³ = 64 5³ = 125

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