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Exponent vs. Power — What's the Difference?

Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on September 25, 2023
Exponent is a number that represents how many times a base number should be multiplied by itself, often seen as a superscript. Power refers to the result of raising a base number to an exponent, indicating the repeated multiplication.
Exponent vs. Power — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Exponent and Power

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Key Differences

Represents the number of times a base is multiplied by itself .The result of the exponential operation.
Exponent typically written as a superscript.The outcome of power when a base is raised to an exponent.

Comparison Chart

Definition

Represents how many times a base is multiplied
The result of the exponentiation

Notation

Often written as a superscript (e.g., 2^3)
The numerical outcome

Example

2^3 means 2 raised to the power of 3
In 2^3, 8 is the power
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Mathematical Expression

Exponent is part of the expression
Power is the result

Calculations

Used to calculate repeated multiplications
Represents the final value

Compare with Definitions

Exponent

An exponent indicates how many times to multiply a base number.
In 2^3, the exponent 3 signifies three 2s multiplied together.

Power

The numerical outcome after performing exponential calculations.
The power of 3^2 is 9, which results from 3 squared.

Exponent

A numerical representation of repeated multiplication.
The exponent in 10^2 is 2, indicating 10 multiplied by itself twice.

Power

The ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way
His powers of concentration
The power of speech
I will do everything in my power to help you

Exponent

One that expounds or interprets.

Power

The capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events
She had me in her power
A political process that offers people power over their own lives

Exponent

One that speaks for, represents, or advocates
Our senator is an exponent of free trade.

Power

Physical strength and force exerted by something or someone
The lyrical power of his prose
The power of the storm

Exponent

Abbr. exp(Mathematics) A number or symbol, as 3 in (x + y)3, placed to the right of and above another number, symbol, or expression, denoting the power to which that number, symbol, or expression is to be raised. Also called power.

Power

Energy that is produced by mechanical, electrical, or other means and used to operate a device
Generating power from waste
Power cables

Exponent

Expository; explanatory.

Power

The rate of doing work, measured in watts or less frequently horse power.

Exponent

One who expounds, represents or advocates.

Power

The product obtained when a number is multiplied by itself a certain number of times
2 to the power of 4 equals 16

Exponent

(mathematics) The number by which a value (called the base) is said to be raised to a power in exponentiation: for example, the 3 in 2^3=8.

Power

A large number or amount of something
There's a power of difference between farming now and when I was a lad

Exponent

The degree to which the root of a radicand is found, for example, the 2 in \sqrt[2]r=b.

Power

Supply (a device) with mechanical or electrical energy
A nuclear-powered submarine
The car is powered by a fuel-injected 3.0-litre engine

Exponent

(linguistics) A manifestation of a morphosyntactic property.

Power

Move or travel with great speed or force
He powered round a bend

Exponent

(computing) The part of a floating-point number that represents its exponent value.

Power

The ability or capacity to act or do something effectively
Is it in your power to undo this injustice?.

Exponent

A number, letter, or any quantity written on the right hand of and above another quantity, and denoting how many times the latter is repeated as a factor to produce the power indicated

Power

Often powers A specific capacity, faculty, or aptitude
Her powers of concentration.

Exponent

One who, or that which, stands as an index or representative; as, the leader of a party is the exponent of its principles.

Power

Physical strength or force exerted or capable of being exerted
The power of the waves.

Exponent

One who explains, expounds, or interprets.

Power

Effectiveness at moving one's emotions or changing how one thinks
A novel of great power.

Exponent

A person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea

Power

The ability or official capacity to exercise control; authority
How long has that party been in power?.

Exponent

Someone who expounds and interprets or explains

Power

The military strength or economic or political influence of a nation or other group
That country projects its power throughout the region.

Exponent

A mathematical notation indicating the number of times a quantity is multiplied by itself

Power

A country, nation, or other political unit having great influence or control over others
The western powers.

Power

A supernatural being
The powers of evil.

Power

Powers(Christianity) The sixth of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology.

Power

The energy or motive force by which a physical system or machine is operated
Turbines turned by steam power.
A sailing ship driven by wind power.

Power

The capacity of a system or machine to operate
A vehicle that runs under its own power.

Power

Electrical or mechanical energy, especially as used to assist or replace human energy.

Power

Electricity supplied to a home, building, or community
A storm that cut off power to the whole region.

Power

(Physics) The rate at which work is done, expressed as the amount of work per unit time and commonly measured in units such as the watt and horsepower.

Power

The product of applied potential difference and current in a direct-current circuit.

Power

The product of the effective values of the voltage and current with the cosine of the phase angle between current and voltage in an alternating-current circuit.

Power

See exponent.

Power

The number of elements in a finite set.

Power

(Statistics) In a statistical test, the probability of correctly rejecting the null hypothesis when it is false.

Power

A measure of the magnification of an optical instrument, such as a microscope or telescope.

Power

Chiefly Upper Southern US A large number or amount. See Note at powerful.

Power

(Archaic) An armed force.

Power

Of or relating to political, social, or economic control
A power struggle.
A power base.

Power

Operated with mechanical or electrical energy in place of bodily exertion
A power tool.
Power car windows.

Power

Of or relating to the generation or transmission of electricity
Power companies.
Power lines.

Power

(Informal) Of or relating to influential business or professional practices
A pinstriped suit with a power tie.
Met with high-level executives at a power breakfast.

Power

To supply with power, especially mechanical or electrical power.

Power

The ability to do or undergo something.

Power

(social) The ability to coerce, influence, or control.

Power

(countable) The ability to affect or influence.

Power

Control or coercion, particularly legal or political (jurisdiction).

Power

The people in charge of legal or political power, the government.

Power

(metonymically) An influential nation, company, or other such body.

Power

An army, a military force.

Power

Effectiveness.

Power

Physical force or strength.
He needed a lot of power to hit the ball out of the stadium.

Power

Electricity or a supply of electricity.
After the pylons collapsed, this town was without power for a few days.

Power

A measure of the rate of doing work or transferring energy.

Power

The strength by which a lens or mirror magnifies an optical image.
We need a microscope with higher power.

Power

A large amount or number.

Power

Any of the elementary forms or parts of machines: three primary (the lever, inclined plane, and pulley) and three secondary (the wheel-and-axle, wedge, and screw).
The mechanical powers

Power

A measure of the effectiveness that a force producing a physical effect has over time. If linear, the quotient of: (force multiplied by the displacement of or in an object) ÷ time. If rotational, the quotient of: (force multiplied by the angle of displacement) ÷ time.

Power

(mathematics)

Power

A product of equal factors (and generalizations of this notion): x^n, read as "x to the power of n" or the like, is called a power and denotes the product x \times x \times \cdots \times x, where x appears n times in the product; x is called the base and n the exponent.

Power

(set theory) Cardinality.

Power

(statistics) The probability that a statistical test will reject the null hypothesis when the alternative hypothesis is true.

Power

In Christian angelology, an intermediate level of angels, ranked above archangels, but exact position varies by classification scheme.

Power

(transitive) To provide power for (a mechanical or electronic device).
This CD player is powered by batteries.

Power

(transitive) To hit or kick something forcefully.

Power

To enable or provide the impetus for.

Power

Impressive.

Power

Same as Poor, the fish.

Power

Ability to act, regarded as latent or inherent; the faculty of doing or performing something; capacity for action or performance; capability of producing an effect, whether physical or moral: potency; might; as, a man of great power; the power of capillary attraction; money gives power.

Power

Ability, regarded as put forth or exerted; strength, force, or energy in action; as, the power of steam in moving an engine; the power of truth, or of argument, in producing conviction; the power of enthusiasm.

Power

Capacity of undergoing or suffering; fitness to be acted upon; susceptibility; - called also passive power; as, great power of endurance.
Power, then, is active and passive; faculty is active power or capacity; capacity is passive power.

Power

The exercise of a faculty; the employment of strength; the exercise of any kind of control; influence; dominion; sway; command; government.
Power is no blessing in itself but when it is employed to protect the innocent.

Power

The agent exercising an ability to act; an individual invested with authority; an institution, or government, which exercises control; as, the great powers of Europe; hence, often, a superhuman agent; a spirit; a divinity.
And the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

Power

A military or naval force; an army or navy; a great host.
Never such a power . . . Was levied in the body of a land.

Power

A large quantity; a great number; as, a power o good things.

Power

The rate at which mechanical energy is exerted or mechanical work performed, as by an engine or other machine, or an animal, working continuously; as, an engine of twenty horse power.

Power

A mechanical agent; that from which useful mechanical energy is derived; as, water power; steam power; hand power, etc.

Power

The product arising from the multiplication of a number into itself; as, a square is the second power, and a cube is third power, of a number.

Power

A machine acted upon by an animal, and serving as a motor to drive other machinery; as, a dog power.

Power

Mental or moral ability to act; one of the faculties which are possessed by the mind or soul; as, the power of thinking, reasoning, judging, willing, fearing, hoping, etc.
The guiltiness of my mind, the sudden surprise of my powers, drove the grossness . . . into a received belief.

Power

The degree to which a lens, mirror, or any optical instrument, magnifies; in the telescope, and usually in the microscope, the number of times it multiplies, or augments, the apparent diameter of an object; sometimes, in microscopes, the number of times it multiplies the apparent surface.

Power

An authority enabling a person to dispose of an interest vested either in himself or in another person; ownership by appointment.

Power

Hence, vested authority to act in a given case; as, the business was referred to a committee with power.

Power

Possession of controlling influence;
The deterrent power of nuclear weapons
The power of his love saved her
His powerfulness was concealed by a gentle facade

Power

(physics) the rate of doing work; measured in watts (= joules/second)

Power

Possession of the qualities (especially mental qualities) required to do something or get something done;
Danger heightened his powers of discrimination

Power

A state powerful enough to influence events throughout the world

Power

(of a government or government official) holding an office means being in power;
Being in office already gives a candidate a great advantage
During his first year in office
During his first year in power
The power of the president

Power

One possessing or exercising power or influence or authority;
The mysterious presence of an evil power
May the force be with you
The forces of evil

Power

Physical strength

Power

A mathematical notation indicating the number of times a quantity is multiplied by itself

Power

A very wealthy or powerful businessman;
An oil baron

Power

Supply the force or power for the functioning of;
The gasoline powers the engines

Power

Power is the result of exponentiation, showing the final value.
The power of 2^4 is 16, the outcome of 2 raised to the fourth exponent.

Common Curiosities

What is an exponent?

An exponent represents how many times a base number is multiplied by itself.

What role does an exponent play in mathematics?

It is used to calculate repeated multiplications.

How does an exponent differ from power?

An exponent is part of the expression, while power represents the final value.

How is an exponent denoted?

Exponents are often written as superscripts.

Is "power" the same as an exponent?

No, power is the numerical result of an exponential operation.

Is power an important concept in mathematics?

Yes, it signifies the result of exponentiation, which is widely used in math and science.

Can you provide an example of an exponent?

In 5^2, the exponent 2 indicates two 5s multiplied together.

How is "power" calculated?

It represents the final value after exponentiation.

What does "power" mean in mathematics?

In mathematics, power refers to the result of exponentiation.

Can you explain power with an example?

The power of 4^3 is 64, which is the outcome of 4 raised to the third exponent.

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Written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.

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