An exponent is an operator that allows you to take a number, called a base, and multiply it a specified number of times, called a power. For example, 2 × 2 × 2 can be expressed as 2 to the 3rd power, written as 2³. This is useful for calculations that involve a repeated process, such as compound interest.

To calculate an exponent, start the product at 1, and multiply the product by the base however many times the power is. Each multiplication step is called an iteration:

base  = 2
power = 3
product               = 1

1st iteration = 1 × 2 = 2

2nd iteration = 2 × 2 = 4

3rd iteration = 4 × 2 = 8

If the power is 0, no iterations are done, and the product remains at 1. So any number to the 0th power is 1.