Subtracting Exponents without Variables



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Subtracting with exponents is simple: unless the terms have the same base variable and exponent, the correct approach is to calculate each term individually before subtracting. In this introductory quiz, we won't be using variables, so your task is easy: convert each term and subtract.



Here are a couple of examples:

  • 42 − 22 = (4 × 4) − (2 × 2) = 16 − 4 = 12
  • 25 − 23 = (2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2) − (2 × 2 × 2) = 32 − 8 = 24 (Here, notice that if you had just subtracted the exponents to make 22, the answer would have been 2 × 2 = 4)
 
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