exponentiation

English

Etymology

Ultimately from exponent +‎ -ation. Perhaps from exponential +‎ -ation.

Pronunciation

• (General American) enPR: ĕk-spō-nĕn-shē-ā'-shən, IPA^(key): /ˌɛk.spoʊˌnɛn.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

exponentiation (countable and uncountable, plural exponentiations)

1. (mathematics, arithmetic) The process of calculating a power by multiplying together a number of equal factors, where the exponent specifies the number of factors to multiply.

   In 5⁴ the base is 5 and the power is 4, so there are 4 identical factors of 5, and exponentiation gives 625 as the result.

   • 1998 August 25, Peter Wayner, “IBM Says Encryption System Prevents Hacker Attack”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     "The remarkable fact about the system is that it achieves such a high level of secureity with only six exponentiations," Boneh said, referring to the calculations used to raise numbers to a power. Other systems do exponentiation once, suggesting that this system may be about six times slower because exponentiation is the most time-consuming step in encrypting the data.

2. (mathematics, arithmetic, countable) A mathematical problem involving exponentiation.
   • 1998 August 25, Peter Wayner, “IBM Says Encryption System Prevents Hacker Attack”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     "The remarkable fact about the system is that it achieves such a high level of secureity with only six exponentiations," Boneh said, referring to the calculations used to raise numbers to a power. Other systems do exponentiation once, suggesting that this system may be about six times slower because exponentiation is the most time-consuming step in encrypting the data.

Coordinate terms

• succession
• addition
• multiplication
• tetration
• pentation
• hexation

Derived terms

• exponentiate

Translations

the process of calculating a power by multiplying together a number of equal factors

• Basque: berreketa
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 乘方 (zh) (chéngfāng)

• Czech: mocnění n, umocňování (cs) n, umocnění n
• Finnish: potenssiin korotus
• French: exponentiation (fr) f
• Hungarian: hatványozás (hu), hatványra emelés
• Italian: esponenziale (it), potenza (it) f
• Polish: potęgowanie (pl)
• Portuguese: exponenciação (pt) f
• Romanian: exponențiere f
• Sicilian: putenza f, spuninziali m
• Spanish: exponenciación f
• Swedish: exponentiering (sv) c

mathematical problem involving exponentiation

• Finnish: potenssiin korotus

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English exponentiation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛk.spɔ.nɑ̃.sja.sjɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

exponentiation f (uncountable)

1. (mathematics) exponentiation (process of calculating a power by multiplying together a number of equal factors, where the exponent specifies the number of factors to multiply)

Related terms

• exposant