Word Problems with Exponents
Instructions: Read each problem carefully. Write your working and answer in the spaces provided. Remember: exponents tell us how many times to multiply a number by itself.
1. A square garden has sides that are 7 metres long. What is the area of the garden?
Working: _________________________________________________________
Answer: _________________________________________________________
2. A cube-shaped box has edges that are 4 cm long. What is the volume of the box?
Working: _________________________________________________________
Answer: _________________________________________________________
3. A bacteria colony doubles every hour. If there are 2 bacteria at the start, how many will there be after 5 hours? (Hint: 25)
Working: _________________________________________________________
Answer: _________________________________________________________
4. A square classroom floor has tiles arranged in a 9 × 9 pattern. How many tiles are there in total?
Working: _________________________________________________________
Answer: _________________________________________________________
5. Tom is stacking cubic blocks. Each block has edges of 3 cm. What is the volume of one block?
Working: _________________________________________________________
Answer: _________________________________________________________
6. A tournament has 3 rounds. In each round, the number of players triples. If there are 3 players at the start, how many players will there be after 3 rounds? (Hint: 33)
Working: _________________________________________________________
Answer: _________________________________________________________
7. A square photograph has sides measuring 12 cm. What is the area of the photograph?
Working: _________________________________________________________
Answer: _________________________________________________________
8. A computer file size doubles 4 times. If it starts at 2 megabytes, what is the final file size? (Hint: 24 then multiply)
Working: _________________________________________________________
Answer: _________________________________________________________
Remember: 5² = 5 × 5 = 25 | 4³ = 4 × 4 × 4 = 64