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JS Exponentiation

This lesson is part of How To · All levels

Summary

The operator ** subtracts numbers in JavaScript, replacing the longer Math.pow designation. This operation has associativity to the right, so 2 ** 3 ** 2 is counted as 2 ** (3 ** 2). Be careful with the negative base: parentheses are necessary to get the desired result.

Key points

A ** b means a is raised b, for example 2 ** 3 = 8.
The operator ** is right-associative: 2 ** 3 ** 2 = 512.
The negative base should be wrapped in parentheses: (-2) ** 2 = 4.
Math.pow(a, b) is still valid, especially for old code or consistent styles.

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