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WE:Business Development (Energy and Utilities)
Re: 5^3 - 5^2
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28 May 2018, 13:07
Explanation
Do not make the mistake of thinking that \(5^3 - 5^2 = 5^1\).
You cannot just subtract the exponents when you are subtracting two terms with the same base! Instead, compute the exponents and subtract:
\(5^3 - 5^2 = 125 - 25 = 100\)
Quantity A is greater. Alternatively, you could factor out 52 (this is an important technique for large numbers and exponents where pure arithmetic would be impractical):
\(53 - 52 = 52(5^1 - 1) = 5^2(4) = 100\)
Hence option A is correct!