What is it
Indices (powers) at Higher tier extends the basic index laws to negative and fractional powers, and to solving equations where the unknown appears in the power.
Why it matters
Fractional and negative indices connect directly to roots and reciprocals, tying together several number topics into one consistent set of rules — mastering the index laws here makes standard form and surds noticeably easier too.
Exam tip
Remember that a negative power means 'reciprocal', and a fractional power means 'root' — translating each into plain English before calculating prevents most index law errors.
Related topics
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