6th grade · Math · Unit 12 of 17
Powers and Common Factors
Exponents and prime factorization
What your child practices
Reading and writing powers such as 3⁴, evaluating them, order of operations with powers, writing prime factorizations with exponents, and finding common factors and the greatest common factor.
California Content Standards learning standard: 6.EE.1 · writing and evaluating numerical expressions with whole-number exponents
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- An exponent tells how many times to multiply the base: 2³ = 2 × 2 × 2.
- A common factor divides two numbers evenly.
- To evaluate a power, multiply, then follow the order of operations.
Example: What is 2³ + 1? 2³ = 2 × 2 × 2 = 8. 8 + 1 = 9. Answer: 9
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Evaluate. Do the power first.
4 × 4² = ?
answer box
64
Hint: Order of operations: brackets, powers, then multiply or divide, then add or subtract.
Question 2
What is the value of 6³?
answer box
216
Hint: 6³ means 6 × 6 × 6.
Question 3
What does 8⁴ mean?
- 8 + 4
- 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4
- 8 × 4
- 8 × 8 × 8 × 8
8 × 8 × 8 × 8
Hint: The exponent tells how many copies of the base to multiply.
Question 4
What is the value of 6⁴?
answer box
1296
Hint: 6⁴ means 6 × 6 × 6 × 6.
Question 5
Evaluate. Do the power first.
9 + 2² = ?
answer box
13
Hint: Order of operations: brackets, powers, then multiply or divide, then add or subtract.
Question 6
Write 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 as a power.
- 4³
- 3⁴
- 3 × 4
3⁴
Hint: The base is the number multiplied. The exponent tells how many times it is used.