Exponents: The Superpowers of Numbers

Author: Meghan VanderMale

Meghan VanderMale teaches Mathematics at Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She writes curriculum, problems, and puzzles related to the mathematics of social decision making and politics and has a blog (polokupuzzles.com) which features some of her problems. She works with programs in local high schools and has taught at both BEAM Discovery and BEAM Summer Away at various locations. In addition to mathematics, Meghan enjoys learning circus arts such as circus hula hooping and aerial silks.

This course is good for someone who…

  • Has post-secondary experience with abstract algebra, or an interest in exploring the topic alongside students.

  • Brings a strong and engaging mathematical presence to the classroom; the contents of this course are relatively abstract.

This course features...

  • A focus on prime factorization and an introduction to modular arithmetic

  • Regular use of manipulatives to model factorization, motivating pattern recognition and mathematical abstraction

Sample Problem

What is the biggest number that you can make using only multiplication, addition, exponents, and ten 1's?