Exponent Calculator

Understanding Exponents

An exponent tells you how many times to multiply a base number by itself. In the expression bⁿ, b is the base and n is the exponent (also called the power). A positive whole-number exponent means repeated multiplication (2³ = 2×2×2 = 8); a negative exponent means taking the reciprocal of the positive power (2⁻³ = 1/8); and a fractional exponent represents a root (2^(1/2) is the square root of 2).

Special Cases

• Any nonzero number raised to the power of 0 equals 1.
• A negative base with a fractional exponent may not have a real-number result (e.g. an even root of a negative number) - this calculator will flag that case.
• Very large exponents can produce extremely large or extremely small results.