The term exponent originates from the Latin exponentem, the present participle of exponere, meaning "to put forth". The term power ( 詳細

The exponentiation operation with integer exponents may be defined directly from elementary arithmetic operations.
Positive exponents 詳細

If x is a nonnegative real number, and n is a positive integer, $${\displaystyle x^{1/n}}$$ or $${\displaystyle {\sqrt[{n}]{x}}}$$ denotes … 詳細

In the preceding sections, exponentiation with non-integer exponents has been defined for positive real bases only. For other bases, difficulties … 詳細

Antiquity
The Sand Reckoner
In The Sand Reckoner, Archimedes proved the law of exponents, 10 … 詳細

The expression b = b · b is called "the square of b" or "b squared", because the area of a square with side-length b is b . (It is true that it could also be called "b to the second power", but "the square of b" and "b squared" are so ingrained by tradition and convenience that "b … 詳細

For positive real numbers, exponentiation to real powers can be defined in two equivalent ways, either by extending the rational powers to reals by continuity (§ Limits of rational … 詳細