Powers of ten are numbers that can be written as 10 raised to an exponent. The exponent tells us how many times to multiply 10 by itself.
Any number raised to the power of 1 equals itself. So 10¹ = 10.
To find the value of a power of ten, multiply 10 by itself as many times as the exponent indicates.
The exponent tells you how many zeros will be in your final answer. For example, 10⁵ = 100,000 (five zeros).
Here are some of the most common powers of ten you will use in mathematics:
10⁰ (ten to the zero power) equals 1. This is a special rule for all numbers raised to the zero power.
Powers of ten help us understand our place value system. Each place value is ten times greater than the place to its right.
When we move one place to the left, we multiply by 10. When we move one place to the right, we divide by 10.
There are helpful patterns that make working with powers of ten easier to understand and remember.
When multiplying a decimal by a power of ten, count the zeros in the power of ten and move the decimal point that many places to the right.