Exponent Calculator
Raise any base to a power and get the result, its expanded form, scientific notation, and roots, updated as you type.
Base and exponent can be whole, decimal, or negative. For roots, enter a fractional exponent such as 0.5 for a square root or 1/3 for a cube root. Everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
How to calculate an exponent online
Enter the base
Type the base number you want to raise to a power, which can be whole, decimal, or negative.
Enter the exponent
Type the exponent, which can be whole, decimal, negative, or a fraction such as 1/3 for a cube root.
Read and copy the result
The power, its expanded form, scientific notation, reciprocal, and reading update instantly and copy with one click.
Why use this tool
Negative and fractional exponents
Raise any base to a whole, decimal, negative, or fractional power. A fractional exponent like 1/2 or 1/3 gives the matching square or cube root.
Expanded repeated multiplication
For small whole exponents the result is shown as its repeated multiplication, so 2 to the power of 5 reads as 2 by 2 by 2 by 2 by 2.
Scientific notation and magnitude
Every result is also written in scientific notation with its nearest power of ten, so very large and very small numbers stay readable.
Reciprocal and roots
The reciprocal, which is the base raised to the negative exponent, is shown alongside the plain-language reading of the expression.
Clear guards for undefined results
Zero to the power of zero, zero to a negative power, and even roots of a negative base are flagged as undefined or not real instead of showing a wrong value.
Runs entirely in your browser
Everything is calculated on your device. The numbers you enter are never uploaded, stored, or logged.
About this tool
The exponent calculator raises a base to a power and shows the full picture at once. Enter a base and an exponent and it works out the result the moment both fields are filled, with no button to press. Alongside the value you get the answer in scientific notation, its nearest power of ten, the reciprocal, a plain-language reading, and, for small whole exponents, the expanded repeated multiplication that the power stands for.
Exponents can be whole, decimal, negative, or fractional. A negative exponent produces the reciprocal, so 2 to the power of minus 3 is one eighth. A fractional exponent produces a root: an exponent of 0.5 or 1/2 is a square root, and 1/3 is a cube root. Because fractions are read exactly, a negative base with an odd denominator, such as minus 8 to the power of 1/3, correctly returns minus 2, while an even root of a negative number is flagged as having no real result. Zero to the power of zero is reported as undefined rather than guessing a value. When a result grows past the range an ordinary number can hold, it is shown in scientific notation so nothing is lost.
Use it for homework, growth and decay, compound problems, and quick sanity checks on powers and roots. For step-by-step arithmetic with more operators, try the scientific calculator; for working with fractions on their own, see the fraction calculator; and to move a number between binary, decimal, and hex, the number base converter is next door. Everything here runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an exponent?
- An exponent tells you how many times to multiply a base by itself. In 2 to the power of 5, the base is 2 and the exponent is 5, so the result is 2 multiplied by itself five times, which is 32.
- Can I use negative or fractional exponents?
- Yes. A negative exponent gives the reciprocal, so 2 to the power of minus 3 is one eighth. A fractional exponent gives a root: an exponent of 0.5 or 1/2 is a square root and 1/3 is a cube root. You can type the exponent as a decimal or as a fraction like 1/3.
- What is zero to the power of zero?
- Zero to the power of zero is undefined. It is an indeterminate form with no single agreed value, so the calculator reports it as undefined rather than returning a number.
- Why does a negative base sometimes have no result?
- An even root of a negative number, such as the square root of minus four, is not a real number. When a negative base is combined with an even-denominator fractional exponent the calculator says there is no real result. Odd roots, like the cube root of minus eight, are real and are calculated normally.
- How large a number can it handle?
- Very large and very small results are shown in scientific notation, so a power that would otherwise overflow is written as a value times a power of ten. The nearest power of ten is also shown so you can gauge the size at a glance.
- Is my data uploaded anywhere?
- No. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is sent to a server. The numbers you enter are never uploaded, stored, or logged.
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