Math
Raising a number to an exponent
Definition
Raising a base to an exponent means giving POWER the base and the exponent.
Syntax
=POWER(number, power)
Arguments
| Argument | Meaning |
|---|---|
number |
The base, such as B2. |
power |
The exponent, such as C2. |
Worked example
A tile sheet stores the side length in B2 and the exponent in C2.
| A: Tile | B: Side | C: Exp |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4 | 3 |
| B | 3 | 2 |
| C | 2 | 4 |
Formula: =POWER(B2,C2)
Result: 64. 4 to the power 3 is 4 × 4 × 4, which equals 64.
Practice
Cell A2 holds 5. Cell B2 holds 2. In C2, write a formula that raises A2 to the power of B2.
- In C2, write a POWER formula that raises A2 to the power of B2.
- C2 should show A2 raised to the power of B2.
Step 1 of 2
Enter =POWER(A2,B2) in C2.
A2 is 5 and B2 is 2, so 5 to the power of 2 is 25.
Formulas here use English function names, such as SUM, and a period as the decimal separator, in every language.
Loading the sheet…
C2 uses POWER.
C2 now shows 25.
The next lesson is Finding the side of a square.
Related functions
POWER is the function that raises that base to the exponent.
Common mistake
Swapping the arguments, as in =POWER(C2,B2): 3 to the power 4 is 81, not 64.