"5 to the second power", what does the exponent 2 tell us to do with the
base 5?

The exponent 2 tells us that we must multiply 2 five's together.

So we have: 5^2 = 5 x 5

Let me know if this helps!

The exponent 2 tells us to multiply the base 5 by itself

Step-by-step explanation:

An exponent tells us to multiply the base by itself the amount of times of the exponent

In this case, the base is 5 and the exponent is 2

The exponent is telling us to multiply our base: 5 by itself

5x5