Three exponent rules to remember:

• Product of powers: a^m · aⁿ = a^m+n. Example: 2³ · 2⁴ = 2⁷.
• Quotient of powers: a^m ÷ aⁿ = a^m-n. Example: 2¹⁰ ÷ 2⁷ = 2³.
• Zero exponent: a⁰ = 1 (for any non-zero base). Example: 5⁰ = 1.

Exponent notation is a shorthand for repeated multiplication. 3⁴ means 3 · 3 · 3 · 3 = 81. The base is what gets multiplied; the exponent is how many times.