Exponent Calculator

Written byOleh Soloninupdated 5 October 2026

Base

Exponent

Result

Value1,024

Powers, roots and negative exponents

Calculate x to the power of y, including negative and fractional exponents. Useful for growth rates, compound interest and scientific work.

Exponents describe repeated multiplication, and they grow far faster than most people expect. That is why compound interest and viral spread are both exponent problems.

Fractional exponents are roots in disguise: raising to the power 0.5 is the same as taking a square root, and 1/3 gives a cube root.

How to use

Enter the base — the number being raised.
Enter the exponent: whole, fractional or negative.
Read the result; fractional exponents give roots and negative ones give fractions.

What a non-whole exponent means

A whole exponent is repeated multiplication: 2¹⁰ = 1,024. A negative one flips the result into a fraction, so 10⁻³ = 0.001, one divided by a thousand. A fractional exponent is a root: 2^0.5 is √2 ≈ 1.4142.

The same rule explains why any non-zero number to the power of zero is one rather than zero. Stepping down from 2³ to 2² divides by two; two more steps, through 2¹ = 2, land on 2⁰ = 1.

Worked out with this calculator.
Expression	Value	Meaning
2¹⁰	1,024	ten twos multiplied
2⁰	1	the empty product
10⁻³	0.001	one divided by 10³
2^0.5	1.4142	the square root of two
1.05¹²	1.7959	5% growth twelve times over

What this calculator shows

The result of the base raised to your exponent
Negative exponents, which produce reciprocals
Fractional exponents for roots of any order

What to keep in mind

Any non-zero number raised to the power 0 equals 1.
Negative bases with fractional exponents can have no real answer — the square root of −4 is not a real number.

FAQs

What does a negative exponent mean?

It gives the reciprocal: it divides instead of multiplying. 2⁻³ is 1 divided by 2³, which is 1/8 or 0.125, and 10⁻³ is 0.001. The minus sign does not make the result negative; it turns it into a fraction.

Why is anything to the power of zero equal to 1?

Because dividing powers subtracts exponents. 2³ ÷ 2³ is 2⁰, and any non-zero number divided by itself is 1. The argument does not work for zero: 0⁰ is a matter of convention.

How do I calculate a cube root?

Raise to the power 1/3. Entering 27^(1/3) returns 3.

Why did I get an enormous number?

Exponents escalate quickly. 2^64 is over 18 quintillion — the reason a 64-bit address space felt limitless when it was designed.

What is 2 to the power of 10?

1,024 — the number behind the old habit of calling 1,024 bytes a kilobyte, since 2¹⁰ is the power of two nearest a thousand.

Worked example

Doubling ten times

Input: 2^10

Output: 1024

Note: This is where the habit of calling 1,024 bytes a kilobyte comes from — computing counts in powers of two. Strictly, that is a kibibyte (KiB); a kilobyte is 1,000 bytes.

Useful links

All tools in Math & Statistics

Exponent Calculator

Result

Related tools

Square Root Calculator

Logarithm Calculator

Scientific Notation Converter

Compound Interest Calculator

Useful links