32sqrt 2 = 2^a, find the value of a

Ok so this is a typical exam questions worth around 3-4 marks depending on which exam board you are sitting with.To start solving this problem, we are looking for 2 to the power of "something" - so we will look to expressing the rest of the equation in terms of "2 to the power of".So we look to 32 which can be expressed as 25.The Sqrt 2 is the same as = 21/2.Equation now becomes 25 x 21/2 = 2a.We now recall that when multiplying terms with the same base, the indices can be added. (If this was a division, we would subtract them).Back to our question – our answer then becomes 25 1/2.Which is better written as 211/2.This is identical to 2a where a=11/2.

Answered by Shannon M. Maths tutor

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