ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to understand the terms base, index and power and seeks to understand square roots. It describes state the laws of indices and state the seven SI units. Powers and roots are used extensively in mathematics and engineering, so it is important to get a good grasp of what they are and how, and why, they are used. Being able to multiply powers together by adding their indices is particularly useful for disciplines like engineering and electronics, where quantities are often expressed as a value multiplied by some power of ten. In the field of electrical engineering, for example, the relationship between electric current, voltage and resistance in an electrical system is critically important, and yet the typical unit values for these properties can differ by several orders of magnitude. Studying, or working, in an engineering discipline, students very quickly become familiar with powers and roots and laws of indices.
