Answer:
An exponent is often referred to as a power of 10, for instance,
, as the exponent is highlighted. A number can only become a power of 10 under certain circumstances in an expression, on the other hand, you have exponents alone in expressions like "45² + x", the exponent was assigned to a number and that means that we multiply that number by itself that number of times. Logically speaking, it's impossible for a number alone to be a power of 10 or to become one out of the blue, a power of 10 is assigned into an expression and before a whole number before you start working on it, which is the equation.
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