POWER in Google Sheets

What is POWER Function in Google Sheets?

The POWER formula in Google Sheets raises a specified number to a given power. The function returns a number raised to a power specified as the result. It is very helpful in performing exponential calculations with huge data sets in spreadsheets.

Broadly speaking, the POWER in Google Sheets multiplies a number by itself a specific number of times. For example, you can use the POWER function to raise the number 7 to the 2nd power. The POWER function can be used for simple calculations, such as finding the square of any number, or more complex formulas, such as exponential growth and compound interest. It is very useful when calculating the square and cube of big numbers. For example, the cube of 155 can be calculated as =POWER(155,3).

The POWER function in Google Sheets is used to raise a number to a specified power. It is a improved version of the Caret ^ symbol.
The syntax of the power function is:

=POWER(base, exponent)

base: The number you wish to raise to a power.

exponent: The power to which you will raise the base.

The POWER function can work with decimal numbers as exponents and base. The base can also be negative, provided the exponent is an integer. If the exponent is negative, the function returns the reciprocal of the base raised to the exponent as a positive value.
The POWER function is very useful to calculate squares (2) or cubes (3).
It is widely used in scientific calculations like calculating the exponential growth or decay, population growth, or compound interest formulas.

Syntax

The syntax of the POWER function in Google Sheets is as follows:

=POWER(number, power)

Here,

“number” is the number to be raised to a power
“power” is the value to which it should be raised.

Besides, the “number” refers to the base, and “power” refers to the exponent.

For instance, if you want to find the value of 3 raised to the power 3 (in other words, the cube of 3), use the following formula “=POWER(3,3).” You will get the result as 27. To further simplify, (3)3 = 27.

How to Use POWER Function in Google Sheets

Let us look at the different ways we can use the POWER formula in Google Sheets to find the power of a number. Exponents are a way to multiply a number by a certain number of times. Here’s how to do an exponent in Google Sheets:

There are two ways to enter the POWER function in Google Sheets.

Entering the REPT Function Manually

Let us look at a simple way to raise some numbers to a particular power that is specified. We have some numbers in Column A and the power to which they should be raised in Column B.

Step 1: Go to cell C1 to display the result of the exponentiation operation.

Step 2: To enter the POWER formula in Google Sheets, you should start entering the equal sign (=). Now, type =POWER(.

Step 3: Type the two arguments. Here, we use the cell references. Type =POWER(A1,B1) and press Enter.

Step 4: As you know, 3 raised to the power of 4 is 81. Drag the formula down to C3 to get the result for the remaining numbers.

Using the Google Menu Bar

We can also enter the same function using the Google Menu bar.
Go to the menu bar and click on “Insert” ➝ “Function” ➝ “Math” ➝ “POWER.”
Enter the required arguments. Close the bracket and press the “Enter” key.

Examples

Now that we have looked at some basic ways to use the POWER function let’s explore it in detail and examine some interesting examples of using POWER in Google Sheets.

Example #1

Let us use the POWER function in Google Sheets to find the Power and root of certain numbers.

In Column A, we have a group of numbers. The power to which they have to be raised is given in Column B. Let us implement the POWER function.

Step 1: Enter the given data in Columns A and B of a sheet.

Step 2: Now, insert the following formula in Cell C2.

=POWER(A2,B2).

Press Enter.

Step 4: Now, drag the POWER in Google Sheets formula up to cell C7 and check how the powers are displayed according to the number specified in Column B.

Thus, even if the power is a negative number, you get the result which is a positive value.

Example #2 – Calculate Exponential Growth

Exponential growth is a pattern that shows large increases over time in the data. If you plot a graph, it will show the curve of an exponential function. We can use the POWER function to calculate the exponential growth in continually growing events that occur naturally. For example, the population of bacteria grows exponentially in 24 hours. In this example, let us study bacterial growth in a lab experiment. Initially, we have 1000 bacteria, and the population doubles every hour. Let us calculate the population after 12 hours.

The following formula is used to model exponential growth.

Exponential growth y=a(1+r)^x

a= it is the initial value.
r= it is the growth rate represented as a decimal.
x= time interval. It is the time that has passed.

Step 1: Enter the details in a sheet as shown below.

Step 2: Now, enter the above formula with the values in the sheet.

Growth after 12 hours = 1000* POWER(2,12)

Here, a = 1000, r =1, x =12.

Step 3: Press Enter. You get the population after 12 hours, which is approximately 4 million.

This will calculate the total population after 12 hours of growth and doubling every hour.

Example #3 – Calculate Compound Interest

In this example, let us calculate the compound interest on a $3,000 investment over four years at a 6.5% interest rate compounded annually. In real-time scenarios, such as calculating the time required for an investment to reach a particular compound interest value, we use the formula below.

=Principal * POWER(1 + Rate, Periods)

It calculates the future value of an investment based on the principal, interest rate, and number of periods.

Let us enter the details in a Google Sheet.

Step 1: Enter all the details in a sheet.

Step 2: Now, let us calculate the compound interest. Use the above formula, Principal * POWER(1 + Rate, Periods)

. We have =3000*POWER(7.5, 4).

Here, principal is $3000, the interest rate is 6.5%, and the period is 4 years.

Step 3: Press Enter. You get the final amount at the end of four years. To calculate the compound interest, you can subtract the final amount from the initial principal.

This will calculate the amount after four years of interest compounded yearly at 6.5% interest.

Important Things to Note

POWER is a powerful function used widely in mathematical, scientific, and financial calculations, such as compound interest, exponential decay, and population growth.
It’s a better alternative to the caret (^) Power operator Google Sheets for exponentiation.
In physics, radioactive decay is often modeled using exponential functions. The formula is as follows: =Initial Amount * POWER(0.5, Time/Half-Life).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What happens if either the number or the exponent is negative when using the POWER function?

Let us look at the two scenarios.

If the exponent is negative, the function returns the reciprocal of the base raised to the positive exponent. Suppose the following function is given, =POWER(2, -4), we get the result 0.0625, as 2^(-4) = 1 / (2^4) = 1 / 16 = 0.0625.

In case the base is negative, the exponent should be an integer. If the exponent is decimal, like =POWER(-2,0.4), you get a #NUM error.

What is the result when we use zero (0) either as the base value or exponent in POWER in Google Sheets?

If the base is 0 and the exponent is a positive value, the result is 0. For example:

=POWER(0, 10) will return zero.

If the exponent is zero, any value raised to the power of zero, the result is 1. Any non-zero base raised to the power of 0 is 1.

What are some common errors we get when using POWER in Google Sheets?

We get the following errors when there are issues in Google Sheets.

1. #NUM!: We get this error when the base is negative and the exponent is a decimal value (e.g., 0.5).
2. #VALUE!: We get this error when the inputs are valid cell references or numbers.

Download Template

This article must help understand POWER in Google Sheets with its formulas and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.

Power In Google Sheets Download

POWER in Google Sheets