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POW

The POW formula is a mathematical operator in Google Sheets used to raise a base number to the power of an exponent. It returns the result of the calculation. This formula is commonly used in financial analysis, engineering, and scientific research.

Usage

Use the POW formula with the syntax shown below, it has 2 required parameters:

=POW(base, exponent)
Parameters:
  1. base (required):
    The base number that is to be raised to the power of the exponent. This can be a cell reference, a number, or another function that returns a numeric value.
  2. exponent (required):
    The exponent to which the base number is raised. This can be a cell reference, a number, or another function that returns a numeric value.

Examples

Here are a few example use cases that explain how to use the POW formula in Google Sheets.

Calculate compound interest

By using the POW formula in combination with other mathematical operators, you can calculate the compound interest on a loan or investment.

Calculate growth rates

The POW formula can be used to calculate growth rates, such as the percentage increase or decrease in sales over a period of time.

Calculate geometric means

The POW formula can be used to calculate geometric means, which are commonly used in financial analysis and statistics.

Common Mistakes

POW not working? Here are some common mistakes people make when using the POW Google Sheets Formula:

Forgetting to use the correct syntax

Make sure to use the correct syntax for POW. The base number should be the first parameter and the exponent number should be the second parameter.

Using non-numeric values

Both the base and exponent numbers must be numeric values or cell references to numeric values. Make sure to check the data type of your input.

Related Formulas

The following functions are similar to POW or are often used with it in a formula:

  • POWER

    The POWER formula is a mathematical function that calculates a number raised to the power of another number. It returns the result of a base number raised to an exponent.

  • PRODUCT

    The PRODUCT formula in Google Sheets multiplies all the numbers given in the arguments and returns the product. It is commonly used to calculate the total product of a range of cells.

  • SUM

    The SUM function in Google Sheets adds up a range of numbers. This function is most commonly used to sum the values in a range of cells.

  • LOG

    The LOG function in Google Sheets returns the logarithm of a given number to a specified base. This function is commonly used in mathematical and financial calculations.

  • LN

    The LN formula returns the natural logarithm of a given value. The natural logarithm is the logarithm to the base e, where e is an irrational number approximately equal to 2.71828. The formula is commonly used in mathematical and scientific calculations.

Learn More

You can learn more about the POW Google Sheets function on Google Support.