Pre-Algebra (Classical)
Free 8th grade pre-algebra (classical) worksheets. Grade 8 — Week 2 of 9. Zero and negative exponents, justified by the descending pattern argument and the quotient rule from Week 1, with the Latin etymology of *reciprocus* and applications to the mass of an electron.
What's Included
- 5 practice worksheets
- Full answer keys
- Common Core aligned (8.EE.A, 8.EE.B, 8.EE.C)
- Print-ready PDF format
All Weeks
Pre-Algebra (Classical)
Pre-Algebra (Classical)
Pre-Algebra (Classical)
Pre-Algebra (Classical)
Pre-Algebra (Classical)
Pre-Algebra (Classical)
Pre-Algebra (Classical)
Pre-Algebra (Classical)
Pre-Algebra (Classical)
About Pre-Algebra (Classical)
Week 2 extends the laws of exponents to zero and negative powers — the rules x⁰ = 1 and x⁻ⁿ = 1/xⁿ are not arbitrary decrees but the only definitions that keep the exponent laws from Week 1 internally consistent. Students argue from a descending pattern, then from the quotient rule, and arrive at the rules by necessity. The week closes with applications drawn from physics: the mass of an electron written as 9.109 × 10⁻³¹ kg, the diameter of a virus, the hydrogen atom, all made writable by negative exponents. Five worksheets, full answer keys.