Powers

If we say “seven to the second power” we mean the following:

• The 7 is the base.
• The 2 is the exponent.
• The whole thing (combination of a base and an exponent) is a power.

• We might say “squared” rather than “to the second power”.
• We might say “cubed” rather than “to the third power”.
• For integers 4 and higher we will probably say “to the power of four” rather than “to the fourth power”.

See also Exponents.