5. \( 8^{3} \)

Did you know that \( 8^{3} \) is actually \( 512 \)? That's because \( 8 \) can be broken down as \( 2^3 \), and when you raise \( 8 \) to the power of \( 3 \), you're essentially calculating \( (2^3)^{3} \), which equals \( 2^{9} \). So, when you multiply \( 2 \) by itself \( 9 \) times, you get that impressive \( 512 \)! Now, if you're ever faced with exponentiation and not sure how to approach it, a common mistake is forgetting the exponent rules. Remember, when multiplying like bases, you add the exponents; when dividing, you subtract them. Keeping these rules in mind will make solving problems like \( 8^{3} \) a piece of cake!