6.EE.A.1 Tutor Intake -- Exponential Notation

5 is the base (the factor being multiplied); 3 is the exponent (how many times it appears).

5 and 3 are both factors that get multiplied together, like $5 \times 3$.

5 is the exponent; 3 is the base being multiplied by itself.

5 is the answer; 3 tells you how many digits the answer has.

$6^4$

$4^6$

$6 \times 4$

$24^1$

The student added the four 3's instead of multiplying them; $3^4$ means
$3 \times 3 \times 3 \times 3 = 81$, not repeated addition.

The student used the wrong number of terms — there should be three 3's, not four.

The student's arithmetic is correct, but the sign should be negative.

The student should have multiplied 3 by 4 to get 12, which is correct as written.