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POWER Function in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026: Formula, Examples & Troubleshooting

Math Beginner SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026

Learn the PlanMaker POWER function, its exact syntax, examples, limits and Excel compatibility.

Verification status: Official documentation referenced; example outcomes independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where stated. Not executed in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026. How formula examples are checked

Calculate powers, roots expressed as exponents, or compound growth.

Verification: No native PlanMaker execution was performed. SoftMaker documentation was inspected on 2026-10-13. Numeric expected outputs below are vendor examples where marked or calculations made independently; they are not screenshots, measured PlanMaker executions or proof of exact runtime behavior.

Quick formula

=POWER(x, y)

Enter a formula with =. This function name and parameter order are taken from SoftMaker’s official 2026 reference.

Arguments, data types and defaults

Argument Requirement and type Default
x Required numeric base or reference to the base. —
y Required numeric exponent or reference to the exponent. —

Reproducible formula examples

Formula (English-reference syntax) Expected result Evidence
=POWER(2,4) 16 SoftMaker 2026 vendor example
=POWER(2,-3) 0.125 Independent mathematical check
=POWER(9,0.5) 3 Independent mathematical check
=POWER(-3,3) -27 Independent mathematical check
=POWER(1.05,4) 1.21550625 Independent mathematical check

Reproduce it in a worksheet

In A1:C1, enter the labels Base, Exponent, and Power. In A2:B5, enter the following pairs, one pair per row: (2,4), (2,-3), (9,0.5), and (1.05,4). Enter =POWER(A2,B2) in C2 and copy down to C5. The expected values are 16, 0.125, 3, and 1.21550625, based on independent arithmetic. Compare the underlying values, not only the displayed decimal format.

What the arguments mean

x is the base (the number being raised); y is the exponent. POWER(3,2) means 3 squared, not 2 cubed. The vendor explicitly confirms that the caret operator has the same meaning: =POWER(A2,B2) and =A2^B2 calculate the same mathematical power in PlanMaker 2026. Both arguments are required; SoftMaker does not document defaults for either.

Advanced uses

Compound growth. Put a principal of 1000 in A2, an annual growth rate 5% in B2, and 4 periods in C2. Enter =A2*POWER(1+B2,C2) in D2. Expected final value: 1,215.50625. Change the rate to negative growth only when a factor such as 1+B2 remains meaningful for the scenario.

Nth roots for nonnegative numbers. =POWER(81,1/4) is 3. This is often a portable alternative to PlanMaker’s ROOTN, which SoftMaker documents as not available in Excel. Keep the base nonnegative when working with fractional exponents: some combinations of negative bases and fractional exponents are outside real-valued arithmetic or may differ between systems.

Scale a physical quantity. If the side length of a cube is in E2, =POWER(E2,3) returns its volume in cubic units. For E2=3, that is 27. If the radius of a circle is in E3, =PI()*POWER(E3,2) gives its area; for radius 4, the area is about 50.26548246.

Errors, limits and troubleshooting

  • Zero raised to a negative exponent: Mathematically division by zero arises. The cited POWER reference does not state PlanMaker’s exact error token for this case; do not assume an Excel error string without a PlanMaker run.
  • Fractional exponent with a negative base: Avoid treating a fractional-power expression as a reliable way to take a real-valued odd root of a negative number. PlanMaker’s separate ROOTN documentation explicitly handles ROOTN(-125,3)=-5; use and verify the native function when that is required.
  • Swapped arguments: POWER(2,3) is 8 whereas POWER(3,2) is 9.
  • Wrong growth factor: A growth rate of 5% is entered as 5% or 0.05, not 5; growth uses 1+rate.
  • Precision/overflow/nonnumeric input: The official POWER entry does not specify exact thresholds or every coercion/error code. Treat any inferred outcomes as unresolved until reproduced natively.

PlanMaker, Excel and editions

SoftMaker 2026 and 2024 both document POWER(x,y) and equivalence to x^y. Microsoft includes POWER in its own Excel function reference. This supports shared function availability, not confirmed identity of extreme numeric, coercion, or workbook-round-trip behavior. The references are English desktop-family manuals; platform/edition specifics and locale-specific separators require native verification.

Localization and worksheet verification

The formulas above use the English-language PlanMaker reference with comma-separated arguments where necessary, period-decimal numeric examples and cell references. SoftMaker documents input/configuration settings, but the cited function page does not certify every locale’s delimiter, translated function name, decimal separator or settings combination. Use the application’s Formula → Function dialog to inspect locally accepted syntax. Date of reference inspection: 2026-10-13.

To validate natively, create the specified cells, enter each formula, capture the displayed and underlying result (including number format), and record PlanMaker version/build, product/edition, OS, locale, calculation settings and file format. There was no PlanMaker native execution in this research batch. Test any error case, relevant .xlsx export/import and formatting separately; Excel’s outcome does not prove PlanMaker’s.

Source comparison, scope and evidence

  • SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026 English help: POWER function — primary function signature, defaults, restrictions and vendor examples. Checked 2026-10-13.
  • SoftMaker PlanMaker 2024 English help: POWER function — compared; same core documented signature and examples at inspection. Checked 2026-10-13.
  • Excel: Microsoft independently catalogues POWER; SoftMaker documents caret equivalence. Runtime boundary behavior unverified.
  • Limitations: PlanMaker 2026 English documentation checked, but no native build/platform/edition, localized syntax or Excel round-trip was tested. Do not transfer unsupported error behavior from Excel or older versions.