exponentiation

What it means

1. countableuncountablearithmeticThe 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.

   1 more example

   "The remarkable fact about the system is that it achieves such a high level of security 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.

   1998 August 25, Peter Wayner, “IBM Says Encryption System Prevents Hacker Attack”, in The New York Times

2. countablearithmeticA mathematical problem involving exponentiation.

   1 more example

   "The remarkable fact about the system is that it achieves such a high level of security 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.

   1998 August 25, Peter Wayner, “IBM Says Encryption System Prevents Hacker Attack”, in The New York Times

In a sentence

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.

Where it comes from

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