Exponent
See It in Action
Two examples of the idea done right—and one common look-alike that is not right.
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
NON-EXAMPLE
Definition
An exponent is a mathematical notation that represents how many times a number, called the base, is multiplied by itself. It is written as a superscript number, placed to the right of the base.
In an expression of the form a^b, where:
a is the base,
b is the exponent (or power),
The exponent b indicates how many times the base a is used as a factor in multiplication.
For example:
In 2^5, the exponent is 5, which means 2 is multiplied by itself 5 times:
2^5 = 2 • 2 • 2 • 2 • 2 = 32.
In 3^2, the exponent is 2, which means 3 is multiplied by itself 2 times:
3^2 = 3 • 3 = 9.
The exponent tells you the number of times the base is used in the multiplication. When the exponent is 1, the base is used just once; when the exponent is 0, any non-zero base raised to the power of 0 equals 1.