Why do whole numbers raised to an exponent get greater while fractions raise yo an exponent get smaller?

This is because whole numbers are either 1 or higher, that's why they can get bigger. Fractions are not whole numbers so they become smaller. Think of it this way: You have 1 pizza, but 5 of you friends each want a slice, so now you have to divide the pizza into 6 equal slices. If your friends had not wanted some of your pizza, you would have the whole pizza to yourself. Which means that you wouldh've gotten to eat a lot more. That means the more people there are, the smaller piece each person gets. So the more you add or multiply to a fraction, the smaller it gets. I hope this helps! :)