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Raise a number to any power.
An exponent calculator raises a base number to a power (the exponent), repeatedly multiplying the base by itself. It handles positive, negative and fractional exponents.
Exponents appear everywhere from compound interest and scientific notation to areas, volumes and growth models, making this a core building block for algebra and science.
A negative exponent means a reciprocal: b⁻ⁿ = 1 / bⁿ. A fractional exponent means a root: b^(1/n) = ⁿ√b.
It represents a root. For example 8^(1/3) is the cube root of 8, which is 2, and 16^0.5 is the square root of 16, which is 4.
Fractional powers of negative numbers have no real value in standard arithmetic, so the calculator reports an error. Use the root calculator's cube-root mode, which handles −8 correctly as −2.
Powers of 10 scale numbers: 10³ = 1000 and 10⁻² = 0.01, which is how very large or very small values are written compactly.