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Maths•SHS Core: Number, Indices & Logarithms

Indices & logarithms

Senior High 6 questions
AI-drafted from platform data — specialist review scheduledBy DigiTransact Mastermind editorial teamLast updated
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What indices & logarithms means

You learn how to work with indices and logarithms by using the rules that link powers, roots, and repeated multiplication. This matters because it helps you simplify expressions quickly and solve number problems that often appear in Senior High School maths.

What you will practise

  • Multiply powers with the same base by adding indices
  • Divide powers with the same base by subtracting indices
  • Raise a power to another power correctly
  • Use negative indices to write reciprocals
  • Evaluate simple base-10 logarithms

Before you start

You should already be comfortable with multiplication, division, powers, and simple fractions. It also helps if you can read and write numbers in index form.

Not confident yet? Work through Number bases first.

Worked example

One question from this skill's own question bank, shown with its full working.

Question

Simplify 3² × 3³.

  • 3⁵
  • 3⁶
  • 9⁵
  • 3¹
Answer: 3⁵

Working: Add the indices when the base is the same: 2 + 3 = 5.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Adding the bases instead of the indices when the base is the same.
  • Forgetting that a negative index means the reciprocal of the positive power.
  • Mixing up log base 10 with other bases and giving the wrong value.
  • Treating log questions as ordinary multiplication instead of a power statement.

Curriculum and exam alignment

Ghana GES SHS syllabusWASSCE

This topic usually appears in SHS 1 to SHS 3 number work, alongside other laws of number and number bases. It supports the kind of simplification and evaluation questions you may meet in WASSCE preparation.

Curriculum notes are a general guide to where this work normally sits. Always check the syllabus your school or examination body is currently using.

Related skills

Other SHS Core: Number, Indices & Logarithms skills in Maths, at the same point in the course.

Other Maths topics

Picture Addition & SubtractionEarly NumeracyNumber BasicsSHS Core MathematicsUniversity MathematicsAlgebra

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Exams that assess indices & logarithms

Senior High work on this skill feeds directly into these exam papers. Each page lists the Maths topics that appear on it.

WASSCEWASSCE practice questionsFree WASSCE practice across the subjects at this stage, with worked answers.GESGES practice questionsFree GES practice across the subjects at this stage, with worked answers.BECEBECE practice questionsListed as a related subject on the BECE practice page.

How this page was produced

This text was drafted with AI assistance from the questions and topics already stored on the platform. A subject-specialist review is scheduled but has not yet been recorded, so we do not claim it here.

Written by
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6 questions with a worked answer after every attempt, and a SmartScore that tracks how close you are to mastery.

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