Exponents are numerals that indicate an operation on a number or variable. The interpretation of this operation is based upon exponents that symbolize natural numbers (also known as positive integers). Natural-number exponents are used to indicate that multiplication of a number or variable is to be repeated. For instance, 5 x 5 x 5 is written in exponential notation as 5³ (read as any of "5 cubed," "5 raised to the exponent 3," or "5 raised to the power 3," or just "5 to the third power"), and x x x x x x x is written x⁴. The number that is to be multiplied repeatedly is called the base. The number of times that the base appears in the product is the number represented by the exponent. In the previous examples, 5 and x are the bases, and 3 and 4 are the exponents. The process of repeated multiplication is often referred to as raising a number to a power...