Final answer:
The exponent rules for adding, subtracting, or multiplying only apply if the base is the same; when multiplying, exponents are added together, but addition and subtraction of exponentials require the exponents to be the same before combining.
Step-by-step explanation:
The exponent rules of adding, subtracting, or multiplying exponents only works if the base is the SAME. In mathematics, when dealing with exponents, it's essential to remember that the base of the numbers must match for these specific operations. For example, when multiplying two exponentials, you multiply the digit terms in the usual way and add the exponents of the exponential terms as shown in the equation: 3.2 × 10³ times 2 × 10² can be written out as 3.2 × 2 × 10³ × 10² which simplifies to 6.4 × 10µ, by adding the exponents (3+2).
However, this rule does not apply when adding or subtracting exponential terms; instead, you need to ensure that the exponents are the same before combining the terms. Understanding the concept of a zero exponent is also crucial: any number raised to the power of zero equals one, as if there were zero instances of the number being multiplied, leaving the implicit 1 as the product.