Exponent Calculator
Work out bⁿ for any base and exponent, or take the nth root of a number.
Power: bⁿ
nth root: ⁿ√x
Exponent rules
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| bm × bn = bm+n | 2³ × 2⁴ = 2⁷ = 128 |
| bm ÷ bn = bm−n | 5⁶ ÷ 5⁴ = 5² = 25 |
| (bm)n = bmn | (3²)³ = 3⁶ = 729 |
| b0 = 1 (b ≠ 0) | 7⁰ = 1 |
| b−n = 1 ÷ bn | 2⁻³ = 1/8 = 0.125 |
| b1/n = ⁿ√b | 271/3 = 3 |
Worked example
2¹⁰
- Multiply 2 by itself 10 times
- 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 1,024
2¹⁰ = 1,024
Fourth root of 81
- Find the number that, multiplied by itself 4 times, gives 81
- 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 = 81
⁴√81 = 3
Negative bases
A negative base with a whole-number exponent is fine: (−2)³ = −8 and (−2)⁴ = 16. With a fractional exponent the result is only real when the root is odd — (−8)1/3 = −2, but (−8)1/2 is not a real number. The calculator explains when a result would be complex.