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NSW Curriculum
NSW Education Standards Authority

K–10Mathematics K–10 Syllabus

Record of changes
Implementation for K–2 from 2023 and 3–10 from 2024
Expand for detailed implementation advice

Content

Stage 4

Indices
Apply index notation to represent whole numbers as products of powers of prime numbers
  • Describe numbers written in index form using terms such as base, power, index and exponent

  • Represent numbers in index notation limited to positive powers

  • Represent in expanded form and evaluate numbers expressed in index notation, including powers of 10

  • Apply the order of operations to evaluate expressions involving indices

  • Determine and apply tests for divisibility for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10

  • Represent a whole number greater than one as a product of its prime factors, using index notation where appropriate

Examine cube roots and square roots
  • Recognise and describe the relationship between squares and square roots, and cubes and cube roots for positive numbers

  • Estimate the square root of any non-square whole number and the cube root of any non-cube whole number, then check using a calculator

  • Identify and describe exact and approximate solutions in the context of square roots and cube roots

  • Apply the order of operations to evaluate expressions involving square roots, cube roots, square numbers and cube numbers

Use index notation to establish the index laws with positive-integer indices and the zero index
  • Establish the multiplication, division and the power of a power index laws, by expressing each number in expanded form with numerical bases and positive-integer indices

  • Establish the meaning of the zero index

  • Apply index laws to simplify and evaluate expressions with numerical bases

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