pow(3)
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);
Link with -lm.
Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):
powf(), powl():
_ISOC99_SOURCE || _POSIX_C_SOURCE >= 200112L
|| /* Since glibc 2.19: */ _DEFAULT_SOURCE
|| /* Glibc versions <= 2.19: */ _BSD_SOURCE || _SVID_SOURCE
DESCRIPTION
These functions return 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.
ATTRIBUTES
For an explanation of the terms used in this section, see
attributes(7).
Interface Attribute Value
pow(), powf(), powl() Thread safety MT-Safe
CONFORMING TO
C99, POSIX.1-2001, POSIX.1-2008.
The variant returning double also conforms to SVr4, 4.3BSD, C89.
BUGS
On 64-bits, pow() may be more than 10,000 times slower for some (rare)
inputs than for other nearby inputs. This affects only pow(), and not
powf() nor powl().
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.
SEE ALSO
cbrt(3), cpow(3), sqrt(3)
COLOPHON
This page is part of release 4.09 of the Linux man-pages project. A
description of the project, information about reporting bugs, and the
latest version of this page, can be found at
https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
2016-03-15 POW(3)
Free and Open Source Software