Documentation/Calc Functions/POWER
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Function name:
POWER
Category:
Mathematical
Summary:
Raises one number (the base) to the power of another number (the exponent). This mathematical operation is known as exponentiation.
Syntax:
POWER(Base; Exponent)
Returns:
Returns a real number that is the specified base raised to the power of the given exponent.
Arguments:
Base is a real number, or a reference to a cell containing that number, that is the base value.
Exponent is a real number, or a reference to a cell containing that number, that is the exponent value.
- If either Base or Exponent is non-numeric, then POWER reports a #VALUE! error.
- If Base is equal to 0 and Exponent is negative, then POWER reports a #NUM! error.
- If Base is negative and Exponent is non-integer, then POWER reports a #NUM! error.
- If both Exponent and Base are 0, then POWER returns 1.
Additional details:
- The formula for this function is [math]\displaystyle{ \text{POWER}(a; b)\:=\:a^b }[/math].
- POWER cannot be used with a negative base and a non-integer exponent. This means, for example, that you cannot use POWER to solve expressions such as [math]\displaystyle{ (-1)^{0.5} }[/math] – this is equivalent to [math]\displaystyle{ \sqrt{-1} }[/math] which has no real solution.
- Calc's exponentiation operator (^) produces the same result as that obtained from POWER. For example, the formula
=2^3gives the same result as=POWER(2; 3). - For more background information about the exponentiation operator, visit Wikipedia’s Exponentiation page.
Examples:
| Formula | Description | Returns |
|---|---|---|
| =POWER(5; 3) | Here the function raises 5 to the power of 3. This is equal to [math]\displaystyle{ 5\times5\times5 }[/math]. | 125 |
| =POWER(D1; D2) where cells D1 and D2 contain the numbers 5.5 and 3.7 respectively. | Here the function raises 5.5 to the power of 3.7. | 548.708832614192 |
| =POWER(2; −3) | Here the function raises 2 to the power of -3. The value 2-3 is equal to [math]\displaystyle{ \frac{1}{2^3} }[/math] or [math]\displaystyle{ \frac{1}{8} }[/math]. | 0.125 |
| =POWER(−5; 3) | Here the function raises -5 to the power of 3. This is equal to [math]\displaystyle{ -5 \times -5 \times -5 }[/math]. | −125 |
| =POWER(−3; −4) | Here the function raises -3 to the power of -4. This is equal to [math]\displaystyle{ \frac{1}{(-3)^4} }[/math] or [math]\displaystyle{ \frac{1}{81} }[/math]. | 0.012345679012346 |
Related LibreOffice functions:
ODF standard:
Related (or similar) Excel functions:
POWER