To calculate 3 raised to the power of 4, we multiply 3 by itself a total of 4 times:
34 = 3 × 3 × 3 × 3
Let’s break it down:
- First, we multiply the first two 3s: 3 × 3 = 9
- Next, we take that result and multiply it by 3 again: 9 × 3 = 27
- Finally, we multiply that result by 3 one last time: 27 × 3 = 81
So, 3 raised to the power of 4 equals 81. In short:
34 = 81
This concept of exponentiation signifies repeated multiplication, where the base is the number being multiplied (in this case, 3), and the exponent tells us how many times to multiply it by itself, demonstrating the power of numbers in mathematics!