Exponent Calculator
Raise any number to any power — positive, negative or fractional exponents. Free and instant, with exact big-integer answers for whole-number powers. Everything runs in your browser.
How to use the Exponent Calculator
- Enter the base. Type the number x you want to raise to a power — it can be negative or a decimal.
- Enter the exponent. Type y: a positive power like 10, a negative power like −3, or a fraction like 0.5 (which means a square root).
- Read and copy the result. The answer appears instantly, with scientific notation, the reciprocal x⁻ʸ, and — for whole-number powers — the exact value down to the last digit.
About this tool
This free exponent calculator computes x^y for any real base and exponent: squares and cubes, powers of ten, compound-growth factors, negative exponents (x⁻ʸ = 1 ÷ xʸ) and fractional exponents (x^(1/n) is the n-th root of x). When both the base and the exponent are whole numbers it also computes the exact integer answer using arbitrary-precision arithmetic, so 2^1000 is shown with all 302 digits instead of a rounded approximation — something ordinary calculators cannot do. Results beyond roughly 10^308 are still estimated in scientific notation.
All calculations happen locally in your browser; nothing you type is sent to a server. For the inverse operation — finding the exponent when you know the result — try the Logarithm Calculator, and for x^(1/n) written as a radical see the Root Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What does a negative exponent mean?
A negative exponent is a reciprocal: x⁻ʸ = 1 ÷ xʸ. For example 2⁻³ = 1 ÷ 2³ = 1/8 = 0.125. The calculator handles this automatically and also shows the reciprocal of every result as a separate statistic.
What does a fractional exponent like 0.5 mean?
A fractional exponent is a root: x^(1/2) is the square root of x, x^(1/3) the cube root, and in general x^(m/n) is the n-th root of x^m. So 9^0.5 = 3 and 8^(2/3) = 4.
Why can't I raise a negative number to a fractional power?
Because the result is a complex number, not a real one. For example (−4)^0.5 would be the square root of −4, which is 2i. Negative bases work fine with whole-number exponents: (−2)³ = −8.
What is 0^0?
The calculator returns 1, the convention used in combinatorics, most programming languages and virtually all calculators. In some limits in calculus 0^0 is treated as indeterminate, but as a standalone arithmetic expression 1 is the standard answer.