Exponent Calculator
Raising a number to a power means multiplying it by itself that many times. Enter a base and an exponent — whole, negative or fractional — and get the result, with the reciprocal for the negative case.
Your numbers
Result
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Expression | 2^10 |
| Result | 1024 |
| Reciprocal (negative exponent) | 0.00097656 |
How powers work
base^exponent multiplies the base by itself as many times as the exponent says: 2^10 = 1,024 is ten 2s multiplied together. Anything to the power 0 is 1, and anything to the power 1 is itself. Powers grow fast — this is exponential growth, the same maths behind compound interest.
Negative and fractional exponents
A negative exponent means the reciprocal: 2^−3 = 1 ÷ 2³ = 0.125. A fractional exponent is a root: n^0.5 is the square root, n^(1/3) the cube root. So 9^0.5 = 3. This calculator handles all three cases.
Reading big and small results
Large powers get unwieldy fast — 10^9 is a billion. For very large or very small results, scientific notation (a × 10^b) is the readable form. If a base is negative with a fractional exponent, the real result may be undefined (you would need complex numbers).
Frequently asked questions
Sources
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