Question 1

How do I calculate an exponent (power)?

Accepted Answer

To calculate base to the power of exponent, multiply the base by itself exponent times. For example 2^5 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 32. For non-integer exponents the calculator uses the rule a^b = exp(b × ln(a)).

Question 2

What does a negative exponent mean?

Accepted Answer

A negative exponent means take the reciprocal. So a^(-n) = 1 / a^n. For example 2^(-3) = 1 / (2×2×2) = 1/8 = 0.125. Any base to the power 0 equals 1 (except 0^0 which is undefined).

Question 3

How do fractional exponents work?

Accepted Answer

A fractional exponent is a root. a^(1/n) is the nth root of a, and a^(m/n) = (nth root of a)^m. For example 8^(1/3) = 2 (cube root of 8), and 9^(3/2) = (sqrt 9)^3 = 27. Enter fractions as decimals, e.g. 0.5 for square root.

Question 4

Why is my result shown in scientific notation?

Accepted Answer

When the result is very large or very small, scientific notation (e.g. 1.0e+20) keeps it readable. The calculator also shows the full precision value and the number of digits where available.