lesson
Repeated multiplication has a notation
1 · Learn
A square number is a whole number multiplied by itself: 6² = 6 × 6 = 36. A cube number uses three equal factors: 3³ = 3 × 3 × 3 = 27.
The exponent is not an instruction to multiply by two or three. Six squared is not 6 × 2. Square arrays and cubes made from unit blocks help show why the names are used.
2 · Worked example
A cube with three unit blocks along each edge has three layers of nine blocks, making 27 blocks altogether.
3 · Your turn
Find 8² and 4³. Why is 4³ not 12?
Check your answer
64 and 64. 4³ means 4 × 4 × 4, not 4 × 3.
4 · Apply your learning
Draw square arrays and build small cubes from safe identical blocks. Connect rows, layers and repeated multiplication.
Adult guidance and safety
Model the calculation or measurement before relying on a procedure. Explain estimates, units and checks. Use a ruler/protractor and suitable diagrams where needed; text examples alone do not establish practical skill or fluency.
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Check a calculation · Year 5 onward
Use this only when your teacher or adult allows a calculator for the task. Show your thinking first. It does not replace mental or written arithmetic and does not mark your lesson answer.
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