Discutindo os conceitos de multiplicação e exponencial

Abstract

Mathematical operations can be worked on in a few different ways. Within basic education, we have two operations that are presented, most of the time, in a standardized manner, these operations are multiplication and exponentiation or potentiation. Through the articles of the mathematician Keith Devlin, a problem situation is brought up in relation to the way these operations are usually defined. In these articles it is stated that the multiplication and exponentiation operations should not be considered, respectively, as a repeated addition and multiplication, because, according to the author, this generates a disagreement in relation to the way of teaching and the formal mathematical definition of operations. References that agree or disagree with the author are presented in this article, and then we bring the formal mathematical arguments with the definitions of the operations and the mathematical elements necessary for the study of such a situation. Some activities are also presented that will exemplify another way of working with operations and the usual way used, when necessary. It is important to considerer the context in wich operations are presented to assess the best placement for them.