What Is Exponent?
An exponent (also called a power) tells you how many times to multiply a base number by itself. It's written as a small raised number, like the 3 in 2³. Exponents also extend to negative and fractional values: a negative exponent means take the reciprocal, and a fractional exponent means take a root.
Example
2³ means 2 × 2 × 2 = 8. 2⁻¹ means 1/2, and 2^(1/2) means the square root of 2.