POWER Function (OpenOffice Calc)
The POWER function in OpenOffice Calc raises a number to a specified exponent. Learn syntax, examples, exponent rules, common errors, and best practices.
Verification status: Consult the documentation, examples and any stated test scope below. How formula examples are checked
Availability and version history
- Introduced: Documented by Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16; original introduction not established.
- Availability: Supported in Apache OpenOffice 4.1.16, verified against its function registry. This identifies a supported release, not a final working version.
- Scope: Desktop Calc, using the English function name. Availability in other spreadsheet applications is separate.
- Checked: 2026-10-14 — function reference; versioned support. Documentation/source check; not a new native test. Existing example-specific test claims below retain their stated scope.
The POWER function in OpenOffice Calc raises a number to a specified exponent. It is essential for scientific calculations, financial growth modeling, engineering formulas, and any scenario where exponential relationships matter.
What the POWER Function Does
- Raises a number to an exponent
- Supports positive, negative, and fractional exponents
- Works with integers, decimals, and dates
- Useful for growth modeling, physics, engineering, and compounding
- Works across sheets
POWER is ideal when you need exponential or root‑based calculations.
Syntax
POWER(number; exponent)
Arguments:
- number — The base value
- exponent — The power to raise the base to
POWER(number; 0.5) is equivalent to the nonnegative square root for nonnegative inputs.POWER(number; -1) is equivalent to a reciprocal for nonzero inputs.
Basic Examples
Square a number
=POWER(5; 2)
Result: 25
Cube a number
=POWER(3; 3)
Result: 27
Raise a number to a fractional power
=POWER(16; 0.5)
Result: 4
Raise a number to a negative power
=POWER(10; -1)
Result: 0.1
Use cell references
=POWER(A1; B1)
Advanced Examples
Compound interest formula
=Principal * POWER(1 + Rate; Years)
Example:
=1000 * POWER(1.05; 10)
Positive power-law scaling
=POWER(A1; 1.2)
Reciprocal power-law scaling
=POWER(A1; -0.3)
nth root of a number
=POWER(A1; 1/3)
Cube-root construction for positive inputs; see the negative-base limitation below.
POWER across sheets
=POWER(Sheet1.A1; 2)
POWER with arrays
Square each value:
=POWER(A1:A10; 2)
Confirm with Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
POWER for physics formulas
Kinetic energy:
=0.5 * m * POWER(v; 2)
POWER for engineering scaling
=POWER(A1; 0.75)
Common Errors and Fixes
POWER requires two arguments and delegates to the shared power path, whose ordinary scalar branch calls pow(base,exponent). Negative bases with integer exponents are meaningful; negative bases with noninteger real exponents can produce a non-finite result. Zero with a negative exponent is not a finite real value. The checked PushDouble handling converts non-finite results into errors. Exact native error codes, 0^0, platform library edge cases and overflow/underflow boundaries are not certified here.
For scalar numeric functions the checked reader distinguishes genuine empty references, strings, numeric values and errors. It can parse some numeric text, including ordinary integer text, and reads a physically empty referenced cell as zero. Therefore neither “all text is ignored” nor “all blanks always produce an invalid-argument error” is a safe general rule. A formula error propagates; it is not silently removed. Use explicit numeric cells in the reproducible tests, and inspect data types before changing a domain check.
Formula parsing errors are separate from mathematical domain errors. Check the function spelling, parentheses and the semicolon separator used in these examples. Number formatting affects display; the separate Calc precision-as-shown setting can also affect numeric reads, so the reference calculations assume ordinary stored-value precision. Dates and times are stored numeric values, but that does not make applying this mathematical operation physically meaningful to every date serial.
Best Practices
- Use POWER for exponential and root calculations
- Use SQRT for readability when exponent = 0.5
- Use EXP and LN for natural exponential modeling
- Convert imported text numbers to real numbers
- Use named ranges for cleaner formulas
- Avoid extremely large exponents to prevent overflow
POWER(x; y) is identical to using the caret operator:x ^ yUse whichever improves readability.
Reproducible numeric controls
| Formula | Independent reference result |
|---|---|
=POWER(5;2) |
25 |
=POWER(3;3) |
27 |
=POWER(16;0.5) |
4 |
=POWER(10;-1) |
0.1 |
=POWER(-2;3) |
-8 |
=POWER(-2;4) |
16 |
=POWER(2;0) |
1 |
=POWER(0;3) |
0 |
=POWER(-8;0.5) |
ERROR |
These are independent mathematical/source controls, not new native application or GUI observations. ERROR denotes an invalid or non-finite source path without inventing an observed localized message. Decimal expectations use the shown rounding precision; full stored results should be retained for subsequent arithmetic.
Complete worksheet and changed-input checks
Enter bases 2,3,4 in A2:A4 and exponents 3,2,-1 in B2:B4. In C2 enter =POWER(A2;B2) and fill down. Results are 8,9,0.25. A negative exponent asks for a reciprocal power, not a negative result. In D2 enter =A2^B2 and fill down to compare the alternative operator spelling for these ordinary numeric cases.
For the retained growth example, =1000*POWER(1.05;10) has reference value 1628.8946267774. This is a mathematical repeated-factor illustration, not a forecast or a recommendation. It differs from the continuous expression 1000EXP(0.0510), because the growth models differ.
Advanced validation and model boundaries
Keep the sign and exponent explicit. POWER(-2;3)=-8 and POWER(-2;4)=16. For a real fractional root of a positive value, POWER(27;1/3) is approximately 3. A floating fractional exponent applied directly to a negative base is not a reliable real odd-root notation in this raw pow implementation; use a deliberately specified real-root construction if needed.
Check multiplicative scaling. For positive base 2, POWER(2;3)*POWER(2;4)=128, matching POWER(2;7). The reciprocal product POWER(2;3)*POWER(2;-3)=1 mathematically. These identities are useful controls but do not guarantee exact floating equality at extreme magnitudes.
Respect exponent scope. A power such as A1^-0.3 is a power-law relationship in A1, not an exponential decay in time. Exponential time decay would place time in the exponent of a fixed positive base or EXP(-k*time). Changing the variable’s role changes the model.
Documentation and verification scope
The original useful examples, named-variable illustrations, shortcodes and design are retained; variables such as Radius, Rate, sd or Time must be defined as cells/names with the required units before those templates are executable. The earlier cross-sheet and Ctrl+Shift+Enter examples describe formula patterns, not a new GUI or array-entry test. Compatibility metadata does not certify identical coercion or boundary behavior in other products.
See the official POWER reference, 4.1.16 mathematics help, scalar elementary functions, SIGN and logarithm callbacks, POWER implementation, numeric argument reading, and non-finite result handling. The first help/core snapshots retain October 13 retrieval dates; POWER retains October 14. Numeric-reader and result-handler sources were retrieved October 15. Original introduction and final functioning version remain unknown; the supported 4.1.16 evidence above is separate.