About the exponent calculator
An exponent tells you how many times to multiply a number (the base) by itself. 2 to the power of 10 means ten twos multiplied together, which is 1,024. Enter a base and an exponent and the result appears at once.
Negative exponents mean a reciprocal: 2^−2 = 1 ÷ 2² = 0.25. Fractional exponents mean roots: 9^0.5 is the square root of 9, which is 3. Any non-zero number to the power of 0 is 1.
Some inputs have no real answer. Zero cannot be raised to a negative power because that means dividing by zero, and a negative base with a fractional exponent gives a complex number. The calculator explains these cases. Results too large or small for ordinary display are shown in scientific notation.
Formula
- x^n = x × x × … × x (n times)
- x^−n = 1 ÷ x^n
- x^(1/n) = the nth root of x
- x^0 = 1 (x ≠ 0)
- x^a × x^b = x^(a+b)
Example
2^10 = 1,024. 5^−2 = 1 ÷ 25 = 0.04. 10^400 is too large for ordinary numbers and is shown as 1e+400.