1POW(3) Linux Programmer's Manual POW(3)
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6 pow, powf, powl - power functions
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9 #include <math.h>
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11 double pow(double x, double y);
12 float powf(float x, float y);
13 long double powl(long double x, long double y);
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15 Link with -lm.
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17 Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):
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19 powf(), powl():
20 _BSD_SOURCE || _SVID_SOURCE || _XOPEN_SOURCE >= 600 ||
21 _ISOC99_SOURCE || _POSIX_C_SOURCE >= 200112L;
22 or cc -std=c99
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25 The pow() function returns the value of x raised to the power of y.
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28 On success, these functions return the value of x to the power of y.
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30 If x is a finite value less than 0, and y is a finite noninteger, a
31 domain error occurs, and a NaN is returned.
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33 If the result overflows, a range error occurs, and the functions return
34 HUGE_VAL, HUGE_VALF, or HUGE_VALL, respectively, with the mathemati‐
35 cally correct sign.
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37 If result underflows, and is not representable, a range error occurs,
38 and 0.0 is returned.
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40 Except as specified below, if x or y is a NaN, the result is a NaN.
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42 If x is +1, the result is 1.0 (even if y is a NaN).
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44 If y is 0, the result is 1.0 (even if x is a NaN).
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46 If x is +0 (-0), and y is an odd integer greater than 0, the result is
47 +0 (-0).
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49 If x is 0, and y greater than 0 and not an odd integer, the result is
50 +0.
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52 If x is -1, and y is positive infinity or negative infinity, the result
53 is 1.0.
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55 If the absolute value of x is less than 1, and y is negative infinity,
56 the result is positive infinity.
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58 If the absolute value of x is greater than 1, and y is negative infin‐
59 ity, the result is +0.
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61 If the absolute value of x is less than 1, and y is positive infinity,
62 the result is +0.
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64 If the absolute value of x is greater than 1, and y is positive infin‐
65 ity, the result is positive infinity.
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67 If x is negative infinity, and y is an odd integer less than 0, the
68 result is -0.
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70 If x is negative infinity, and y less than 0 and not an odd integer,
71 the result is +0.
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73 If x is negative infinity, and y is an odd integer greater than 0, the
74 result is negative infinity.
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76 If x is negative infinity, and y greater than 0 and not an odd integer,
77 the result is positive infinity.
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79 If x is positive infinity, and y less than 0, the result is +0.
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81 If x is positive infinity, and y greater than 0, the result is positive
82 infinity.
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84 If x is +0 or -0, and y is an odd integer less than 0, a pole error
85 occurs and HUGE_VAL, HUGE_VALF, or HUGE_VALL, is returned, with the
86 same sign as x.
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88 If x is +0 or -0, and y is less than 0 and not an odd integer, a pole
89 error occurs and +HUGE_VAL, +HUGE_VALF, or +HUGE_VALL, is returned.
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92 See math_error(7) for information on how to determine whether an error
93 has occurred when calling these functions.
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95 The following errors can occur:
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97 Domain error: x is negative, and y is a finite noninteger
98 errno is set to EDOM. An invalid floating-point exception
99 (FE_INVALID) is raised.
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101 Pole error: x is zero, and y is negative
102 errno is set to ERANGE (but see BUGS). A divide-by-zero float‐
103 ing-point exception (FE_DIVBYZERO) is raised.
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105 Range error: the result overflows
106 errno is set to ERANGE. An overflow floating-point exception
107 (FE_OVERFLOW) is raised.
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109 Range error: the result underflows
110 errno is set to ERANGE. An underflow floating-point exception
111 (FE_UNDERFLOW) is raised.
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114 C99, POSIX.1-2001. The variant returning double also conforms to SVr4,
115 4.3BSD, C89.
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118 In glibc 2.9 and earlier, when a pole error occurs, errno is set to
119 EDOM instead of the POSIX-mandated ERANGE. Since version 2.10, glibc
120 does the right thing.
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122 If x is negative, then large negative or positive y values yield a NaN
123 as the function result, with errno set to EDOM, and an invalid
124 (FE_INVALID) floating-point exception. For example, with pow(), one
125 sees this behavior when the absolute value of y is greater than about
126 9.223373e18.
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128 In version 2.3.2 and earlier, when an overflow or underflow error
129 occurs, glibc's pow() generates a bogus invalid floating-point excep‐
130 tion (FE_INVALID) in addition to the overflow or underflow exception.
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133 cbrt(3), cpow(3), sqrt(3)
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136 This page is part of release 3.53 of the Linux man-pages project. A
137 description of the project, and information about reporting bugs, can
138 be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
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142 2010-09-12 POW(3)