Exponent calculator
Raise a number to a power, from simple squares to huge powers like 2^1000. Students and anyone checking homework or formulas can see exact answers instead of rounded ones when possible.
- Runs in your browser
- Free, no account needed
- Copy or download the result
Result
Example
Base: 2 Exponent: 64
2^64 = 18446744073709551616 Digits: 20 Exact: yes, computed with whole-number arithmetic.
How to use the exponent calculator
- Type the Base, such as 2 or -8.
- Type the Exponent as a whole number, a decimal or a fraction such as 1/3.
- Press Run to see the result and how it was computed.
- Press Copy result or Download to keep the answer.
How it works
When the base and the exponent are both whole numbers, the answer is computed exactly with big integer math, up to 10,000 digits. Larger answers are shown in scientific notation from logarithms.
A negative whole number exponent gives an exact fraction, such as 2^-10 = 1/1024, with a decimal beside it.
A fractional exponent p/q means the qth root raised to the power p. A negative base works when q is odd, so (-8)^(1/3) = -2, and is rejected when q is even because the result is not a real number.
Other results use floating point and are rounded to 12 significant digits. 0 to a negative power is rejected, and 0^0 is shown as 1 by convention.
Everything runs in your browser. Your input is not uploaded or stored.
Questions and answers
What does a negative exponent mean?
It means 1 divided by the positive power. 2^-3 = 1 / 2^3 = 1/8.
What does a fractional exponent mean?
x^(1/n) is the nth root of x, and x^(m/n) is that root raised to the power m. So 8^(2/3) = 2^2 = 4.
Why can't I raise a negative number to the power 0.5?
0.5 means a square root, and the square root of a negative number is imaginary. This tool returns real numbers only.
What is 0 to the power of 0?
Most math and programming treat 0^0 as 1, and this calculator follows that convention.