JavaScript Program to Find Power of Number

You can find the power of a number in JavaScript using Math.pow(base, exponent) or the exponentiation operator base ** exponent.

Examples

Inputbase = 2, exponent = 3

Output8

Inputbase = 5, exponent = 0

Output1

Inputbase = 3, exponent = 4

Output81

How to Think About It

To find the power of a number, think of multiplying the base by itself as many times as the exponent says. For example, 2 to the power 3 means 2 × 2 × 2. We can use JavaScript's built-in power function or multiply in a loop.

Algorithm

1

Get the base number and the exponent number as input.

2

If using built-in method, directly calculate power using Math.pow or ** operator.

3

If using loop, start with result = 1.

4

Multiply result by base repeatedly exponent times.

5

Return the final result.

Code

javascript

const base = 2;
const exponent = 3;
const power = Math.pow(base, exponent);
console.log(power);

Output

8

Dry Run

Let's trace the example base=2 and exponent=3 through the code using Math.pow.

1

Input values

base = 2, exponent = 3

2

Calculate power

Math.pow(2, 3) calculates 2 × 2 × 2

3

Output result

Result is 8

Step	Operation	Result
1	Start with base=2 and exponent=3	N/A
2	Calculate 2 × 2 × 2	8
3	Return result	8

Why This Works

Step 1: Using Math.pow

The Math.pow(base, exponent) function multiplies the base by itself exponent times internally.

Step 2: Using exponentiation operator

The base ** exponent operator is a shorter way to do the same calculation.

Step 3: Loop method

Multiplying base repeatedly in a loop simulates the power calculation manually.

Alternative Approaches

Using exponentiation operator

javascript

const base = 2;
const exponent = 3;
const power = base ** exponent;
console.log(power);

This is shorter and more modern syntax supported in ES6+.

Using loop multiplication

javascript

const base = 2;
const exponent = 3;
let power = 1;
for(let i = 0; i < exponent; i++) {
  power *= base;
}
console.log(power);

This method shows the manual process and works without built-in functions.

Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) space

Time Complexity

Using Math.pow or ** operator is optimized internally and runs in constant time, but manual loop multiplication takes O(n) time where n is the exponent.

Space Complexity

All methods use constant extra space O(1) as they only store a few variables.

Which Approach is Fastest?

Built-in methods like Math.pow and ** are fastest and recommended for simplicity and performance.

Approach	Time	Space	Best For
Math.pow	O(1)	O(1)	Simple and fast calculations
Exponentiation operator (**)	O(1)	O(1)	Modern, concise syntax
Loop multiplication	O(n)	O(1)	Learning and manual calculation