Leaving Cert Maths: Indices
How often Indices comes up on the Maths papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.
OL Asked on 3 of the last 10 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2024.
Indices, Ordinary Level(6 marks)
Quick ones on Indices.
(a)Simplify x⁵ × x³.
- x¹⁵
- x⁸
- x²
(b)Simplify x⁹ ÷ x⁴.
- x³⁶
- x¹³
- x⁵
(c)2⁰ = ?
- 1
- 2
- 0
Show the answers
(a) x⁸
(b) x⁵
(c) 1
Ordinary Level
Asked on 3 of the last 10 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2024.
Every paper, year by year
| Year | Where it came up |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Not asked |
| 2025 | Not asked |
| 2024 | Q4 |
| 2023 | Not asked |
| 2022 | Q2 |
| 2021 | Not asked |
| 2019 | Q6 |
| 2018 | Not asked |
| 2017 | Not asked |
| 2016 | Not asked |
Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.
More Indices questions
Indices, 2 marks
Simplify x⁷ ÷ x⁷.
- 0
- x
- 1
Show the answer
1
Subtract the indices: 7 − 7 = 0, and x⁰ = 1.
Indices, 2 marks
2⁴ = ?
- 6
- 16
- 8
Show the answer
16
2⁴ = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 16. It is not 2 × 4.
Indices, 2 marks
Write 1/x³ using a negative index.
- x⁻³
- −x³
- 3⁻ˣ
Show the answer
x⁻³
One over a power is written with a negative index, so 1/x³ = x⁻³. The minus goes on the index, not the whole term.