pow(3) — Linux manual pages

Linux manual pages	Section 3: Subroutines

Name

pow, powf, powl — power functions

Synopsis

#include <math.h>

`double pow(`	double `x`,
	double `y)`;

`float powf(`	float `x`,
	float `y)`;

`long double powl(`	long double `x`,
	long double `y)`;

Note

Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):
`powf`(), `powl`():
`_BSD_SOURCE` \|\| `_SVID_SOURCE` \|\| `_XOPEN_SOURCE` >= 600 \|\| `_ISOC99_SOURCE` \|\| `_POSIX_C_SOURCE` >= 200112L;
or cc `-std=c99`

	Note
	Link with `−lm`.

DESCRIPTION

The pow() function returns the value of x raised to the power of y.

RETURN VALUE

On success, these functions return the value of x to the power of y.

If x is a finite value less than 0, and y is a finite noninteger, a domain error occurs, and a NaN is returned.

If the result overflows, a range error occurs, and the functions return HUGE_VAL, HUGE_VALF, or HUGE_VALL, respectively, with the mathematically correct sign.

If result underflows, and is not representable, a range error occurs, and 0.0 is returned.

Except as specified below, if x or y is a NaN, the result is a NaN.

If x is +1, the result is 1.0 (even if y is a NaN).

If y is 0, the result is 1.0 (even if x is a NaN).

If x is +0 (−0), and y is an odd integer greater than 0, the result is +0 (−0).

If x is 0, and y greater than 0 and not an odd integer, the result is +0.

If x is −1, and y is positive infinity or negative infinity, the result is 1.0.

If the absolute value of x is less than 1, and y is negative infinity, the result is positive infinity.

If the absolute value of x is greater than 1, and y is negative infinity, the result is +0.

If the absolute value of x is less than 1, and y is positive infinity, the result is +0.

If the absolute value of x is greater than 1, and y is positive infinity, the result is positive infinity.

If x is negative infinity, and y is an odd integer less than 0, the result is −0.

If x is negative infinity, and y less than 0 and not an odd integer, the result is +0.

If x is negative infinity, and y is an odd integer greater than 0, the result is negative infinity.

If x is negative infinity, and y greater than 0 and not an odd integer, the result is positive infinity.

If x is positive infinity, and y less than 0, the result is +0.

If x is positive infinity, and y greater than 0, the result is positive infinity.

If x is +0 or −0, and y is an odd integer less than 0, a pole error occurs and HUGE_VAL, HUGE_VALF, or HUGE_VALL, is returned, with the same sign as x.

If x is +0 or −0, and y is less than 0 and not an odd integer, a pole error occurs and +HUGE_VAL, +HUGE_VALF, or +HUGE_VALL, is returned.

ERRORS

See math_error(7) for information on how to determine whether an error has occurred when calling these functions.

The following errors can occur:

Domain error: x is negative, and y is a finite noninteger: errno is set to EDOM. An invalid floating-point exception (FE_INVALID) is raised.
Pole error: x is zero, and y is negative: errno is set to ERANGE (but see BUGS). A divide-by-zero floating-point exception (FE_DIVBYZERO) is raised.
Range error: the result overflows: errno is set to ERANGE. An overflow floating-point exception (FE_OVERFLOW) is raised.
Range error: the result underflows: errno is set to ERANGE. An underflow floating-point exception (FE_UNDERFLOW) is raised.

CONFORMING TO

C99, POSIX.1-2001. The variant returning double also conforms to SVr4, 4.3BSD, C89.

BUGS

In glibc 2.9 and earlier, when a pole error occurs, errno is set to EDOM instead of the POSIX-mandated ERANGE. Since version 2.10, glibc does the right thing.

If x is negative, then large negative or positive y values yield a NaN as the function result, with errno set to EDOM, and an invalid (FE_INVALID) floating-point exception. For example, with pow(), one sees this behavior when the absolute value of y is greater than about 9.223373e18.

In version 2.3.2 and earlier, when an overflow or underflow error occurs, glibc's pow() generates a bogus invalid floating-point exception (FE_INVALID) in addition to the overflow or underflow exception.

COLOPHON

This page is part of release 3.52 of the Linux man-pages project. A description of the project, and information about reporting bugs, can be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man−pages/.

  Copyright 1993 David Metcalfe (davidprism.demon.co.uk)
and Copyright 2008, Linux Foundation, written by Michael Kerrisk
    <mtk.manpagesgmail.com>

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References consulted:
    Linux libc source code
    Lewine's _POSIX Programmer's Guide_ (O'Reilly & Associates, 1991)
    386BSD man pages
Modified 1993-07-24 by Rik Faith (faithcs.unc.edu)
Modified 1995-08-14 by Arnt Gulbrandsen <agulbratroll.no>
Modified 2002-07-27 by Walter Harms
(walter.harmsinformatik.uni-oldenburg.de)