In the expression 4^3, what is 4 considered?

• A. Square root
• B. Factorial
• C. Base
• D. Exponent

Answer: (C)

In the expression (4^3), the number 4 is considered the base. In an exponential expression, the base is the number that is being multiplied by itself a specified number of times, which is indicated by the exponent. In this case, the exponent is 3, meaning that the base (4) is multiplied by itself three times: (4 \times 4 \times 4).

When evaluating exponential expressions, it's important to understand the roles of the base and the exponent. The base determines the number that will be used in the multiplication, while the exponent indicates how many times to use that base in the multiplication process. Therefore, in (4^3), the 4 is the base that you raise to the power specified by the exponent, which is 3.