Raise any base to any power and see the result, including its scientific notation.
What this calculator does
Enter a base and an exponent and this calculator returns the power, shown in full and in scientific notation for very large or small results.
It handles negative and fractional exponents too — a fractional exponent is a root.
Worked example
On the values this calculator opens with, the result is 1.02K. Alongside it, Scientific comes out at 1.0240e+3. Change any field and every figure updates as you type.
Step by step
- Enter the base.
- Enter the exponent (negative or fractional is fine).
- Read the result and its scientific form.
The calculation
result = base ^ exponent
negative exponent = 1 ÷ base^|exp| · fractional exponent = a root
Questions people ask about this
What does a negative exponent mean?
It’s the reciprocal: 2⁻³ = 1 ÷ 2³ = 0.125.
What does a fractional exponent mean?
It’s a root: 9^(1/2) is the square root of 9 = 3, and 8^(1/3) is the cube root = 2.
Why scientific notation?
Very large or small powers are easier to read as, say, 1.024 × 10³ than as a long string of digits.