Java Program to Calculate the Power of a Number

Introduction

Calculating the power of a number is a common task in mathematics and programming. In this context, raising a base number to an exponent means multiplying the base by itself as many times as indicated by the exponent. This guide will walk you through writing a Java program that calculates the power of a given base number raised to a specified exponent.

Problem Statement

Create a Java program that:

Prompts the user to enter a base number and an exponent.
Calculates the power of the base number raised to the exponent.
Displays the result.

Example:

Input: Base: 2, Exponent: 3
Output: "2 raised to the power of 3 is 8"

Solution Steps

Read the Base and Exponent: Use the Scanner class to take the base number and the exponent as input from the user.
Calculate the Power: Implement logic to calculate the power using either a loop or the Math.pow() method.
Display the Result: Print the result of the base raised to the power of the exponent.

Java Program Using Math.pow()

// Java Program to Calculate the Power of a Number // Author: https://www.rameshfadatare.com/ import java.util.Scanner; public class PowerCalculator { public static void main(String[] args) { // Step 1: Read the base and exponent from the user try (Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in)) { System.out.print("Enter the base number: "); double base = scanner.nextDouble(); System.out.print("Enter the exponent: "); double exponent = scanner.nextDouble(); // Step 2: Calculate the power using Math.pow() double result = Math.pow(base, exponent); // Step 3: Display the result System.out.println(base + " raised to the power of " + exponent + " is " + result); } } }

Java Program Using a Loop

// Java Program to Calculate the Power of a Number Using a Loop // Author: https://www.rameshfadatare.com/ import java.util.Scanner; public class PowerCalculatorLoop { public static void main(String[] args) { // Step 1: Read the base and exponent from the user try (Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in)) { System.out.print("Enter the base number: "); int base = scanner.nextInt(); System.out.print("Enter the exponent: "); int exponent = scanner.nextInt(); // Step 2: Calculate the power using a loop int result = 1; for (int i = 1; i <= exponent; i++) { result *= base; } // Step 3: Display the result System.out.println(base + " raised to the power of " + exponent + " is " + result); } } }

Explanation

Step 1: Read the Base and Exponent

The Scanner class is used to read the base and exponent values as inputs from the user. The nextDouble() method is used for floating-point numbers, while nextInt() is used for integers.

Step 2: Calculate the Power

Using Math.pow(): The Math.pow() method is a built-in function in Java that calculates the power of a number. It takes two arguments: the base and the exponent.
Using a Loop: A loop is used to multiply the base by itself as many times as indicated by the exponent. This method works well for integer values.

Step 3: Display the Result

The program prints the result of the base raised to the power of the exponent using System.out.println().

Output Example

Example 1: Using Math.pow()

Enter the base number: 2 Enter the exponent: 3 2.0 raised to the power of 3.0 is 8.0

Example 2: Using a Loop

Enter the base number: 2 Enter the exponent: 3 2 raised to the power of 3 is 8

Conclusion

These Java programs demonstrate two different methods for calculating the power of a number: using the built-in Math.pow() method and using a loop for manual calculation. Both approaches cover essential concepts such as loops, arithmetic operations, and user input handling, making them valuable exercises for beginners learning Java programming.