Math.pow()
Raises a number to a power.
Available since: Java 1.0
Syntax
static double pow(double a, double b)Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| a | double | The base. |
| b | double | The exponent; can be fractional or negative. |
Return value
doubleThe result as a double.
Examples
Powers, and a root through a fractional exponent:
void main() {
IO.println(Math.pow(2, 10));
IO.println(Math.pow(2, -1));
IO.println(Math.pow(27, 1.0 / 3));
}Output:
1024.0
0.5
3.0The result is a double; an integer needs a cast:
void main() {
int squares = (int) Math.pow(5, 2);
IO.println(squares);
}Output:
25Notes
Java has no power operator: 2 ^ 10 is bitwise XOR, not exponentiation, and gives 8. For a square x * x is simpler. For large integer powers without precision loss use BigInteger.pow().
See also
- Math.sqrt() — Returns the square root of a number.
- Math.round() — Rounds a number to the nearest integer.
- BigInteger — An integer of any size — for when even long is not enough.
In the tutorial
- Operators — Java arithmetic operators, integer division and remainder, compound assignment, increment, comparison and logical operators.