pow

Learn how to use the exponentiation (^) operator in Notion formulas.

The power (^) operator (also known as the exponentiation operator) allows you to raise a number to a higher power.

number[base] ^ number[exponent]

pow(number[base], number[exponent])

number[base].pow(number[exponent])
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

In technical terms, it raises the first operand to the power of the second operand.

In Notion, the ^ operator has a higher operator precedence than the unaryPlus and unaryMinus operators, and has right-to-left associativity.

You can also use the function version, pow().

3 ^ 4 /* Output: 81 */

pow(4,3) /* Output: 64 */

4.pow(3) /* Output: 64 */

2 ^ 2 ^ 3 /* Output: 256 - evaluates as 2 ^ (2 ^ 3) */
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)
  • \(x^0 = 1\)
  • \((x^a)^b = x^{ab}\)
  • \(x^{a^b} = x^{(a^b)}\) (not all languages respect this, but Notion does)
  • \(x^a * y^a = (xy)^a\)
  • \(x^a / y^a = (x/y)^a\)
  • \(x^a * x^b = x^{a+b}\)
  • \(x^a / x^b = x^{a-b}\)

In Notion, the ^ operator has right-to-left associativity, which means that x ^ y ^ z is evaluated as x ^ (y ^ z).

4 ^ 3 ^ 2 == 262,144

4 ^ (3 ^ 2) == 4 ^ 9 == 262,144

(4 ^ 3) ^ 2 == 64 ^ 2 == 4,096

/* Here's that last one according to the (x^a)^b == x^(ab) "Power Rule": */

(4 ^ 3) ^ 2 == 4 ^ (3*2) == 4 ^ 6 = 4,096
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Not every programming and scripting language uses right-to-left associativity for serial exponentiation. Here’s a write-up comparing the methods for many popular languages. Even though standard mathematical notation has the “Tower Rule”, where \(x^{a^b} = x^{(a^b)}\) (aka: “Work top-down”), the computer science community has not come to a strong consensus on whether x^y^z should be interpreted in the same way.

The table below shows exponentiation at work in a Notion database.

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prop("Base") ^ prop("Exponent")
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Instead of using hard-coded numbers, I’ve called in each property using the prop() function.

About the Author

My name is Thomas Frank, and I'm a Notion-certified writer, YouTuber, and template creator. I've been using Notion since 2018 to organize my personal life and to run my business and YouTube channel. In addition to this formula reference, I've created a free Notion course for beginners and several productivity-focused Notion templates. If you'd like to connect, follow me on Twitter.

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Fill out the form below and I’ll answer as soon as I can! ~Thomas