Cube (arithmetic)
Imagine you have a small toy block in the shape of a cube. The cube has six sides, just like a dice. When we talk about "cube" in arithmetic, we mean finding the answer when we multiply a number by itself three times.
Let's say we have the number 2. When we cube 2, we are asking "what is 2 multiplied by itself three times?"
So, we start with 2 x 2 = 4. Then we take that answer (4) and multiply it by 2 again: 4 x 2 = 8. That's the answer to 2 cubed!
In symbols, we write this as 2³, which means "2 raised to the power of 3." The little ³ means we're cubing the number.
We can do this with any number. For example, if we want to find the cube of 3, we start with 3 x 3 = 9. Then we take 9 and multiply it by 3: 9 x 3 = 27. So 3³ is equal to 27.
Cubing a number makes it grow very quickly. For example, 2² (2 squared) is equal to 4, but 2³ (2 cubed) is equal to 8. And 2⁴ (2 to the power of 4) is 16!
In summary, when we cube a number in arithmetic, we're multiplying it by itself three times. It's a way to make numbers grow quickly!
Let's say we have the number 2. When we cube 2, we are asking "what is 2 multiplied by itself three times?"
So, we start with 2 x 2 = 4. Then we take that answer (4) and multiply it by 2 again: 4 x 2 = 8. That's the answer to 2 cubed!
In symbols, we write this as 2³, which means "2 raised to the power of 3." The little ³ means we're cubing the number.
We can do this with any number. For example, if we want to find the cube of 3, we start with 3 x 3 = 9. Then we take 9 and multiply it by 3: 9 x 3 = 27. So 3³ is equal to 27.
Cubing a number makes it grow very quickly. For example, 2² (2 squared) is equal to 4, but 2³ (2 cubed) is equal to 8. And 2⁴ (2 to the power of 4) is 16!
In summary, when we cube a number in arithmetic, we're multiplying it by itself three times. It's a way to make numbers grow quickly!
Related topics others have asked about: