Maths Unit 15 – Indices and Standard Form Square rooting a number is the inverse operation to squaring a number. Cube rooting a number is the inverse operation to cubing a number. Working with negative powers To simplify a number with a negative power you follow this rule. Cube Roots E.g. 5 −2 can be simplified to 1 25 Standard Form Standard form is a general way of writing very large and very small numbers in a uniform way. It is written as a number between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10. Key words and definitions Square number - the product of a number multiplied by itself, e.g. 1, 4, 9, 16. Square root - The square root of a number is a value that, when multiplied by itself, gives the number, e.g. 4 × 4 = 16, so a square root of 16 is 4 Cube number - The result of using a whole number in a multiplication three times, e.g. 3 × 3 × 3 = 27, so 27 is a cube number. Cube Root -  cube root of a number is a special value that, when used in a multiplication three times, gives that number, e.g. 3 × 3 × 3 = 27, so the cube root of 27 is 3 Exponent / Power / Indice The exponent/power or indice of a number says how many times to use that number in a multiplication. It is written as a small number to the right and above the base number.