Python Exponent Question

[databyss]

I have a simple program and the output isn't what I expect. Could
somebody please explain why?

Here's the code:

#simple program
print "v = 2"
v = 2
print "v**v = 2**2 =", v**v
print "v**v**v = 2**2**2 =", v**v**v
print "v**v**v**v = 2**2**2**2 =", v**v**v**v
#end program

Here's the output:

>>>

v = 2
v**v = 2**2 = 4
v**v**v = 2**2**2 = 16
v**v**v**v = 2**2**2**2 = 65536

>>>

I would expect 2**2**2**2 to be 256

[Carsten Haese]

On Mon, 2007-12-10 at 10:15 -0800, databyss wrote:

I have a simple program and the output isn't what I expect. Could
somebody please explain why?
[...]
v**v**v**v = 2**2**2**2 = 65536

I would expect 2**2**2**2 to be 256

Exponentiation is right-associative. 2**2**2**2 = 2**(2**(2**2)) =
2**(2**4) = 2**16 = 65536.

--
Carsten Haese
http://informixdb.sourceforge.net

[Zero Piraeus]

:

v = 2
v**v = 2**2 = 4
v**v**v = 2**2**2 = 16
v**v**v**v = 2**2**2**2 = 65536

I would expect 2**2**2**2 to be 256

"... in an unparenthesized sequence of power and unary operators, the
operators are evaluated from right to left ..."
- http://docs.python.org/ref/power.html

So, 2**2**2**2 = 2**(2**(2**2)) = 65536

-[]z.

[Christian Heimes]

databyss wrote:

I would expect 2**2**2**2 to be 256

I stumbled upon it, too.

2**2**2**2 == 2**(2**(2**2)) == 2**16 == 65536

Christian

[Robert Kern]

databyss wrote:

I have a simple program and the output isn't what I expect. Could
somebody please explain why?

Here's the code:

#simple program
print "v = 2"
v = 2
print "v**v = 2**2 =", v**v
print "v**v**v = 2**2**2 =", v**v**v
print "v**v**v**v = 2**2**2**2 =", v**v**v**v
#end program

Here's the output:

v = 2
v**v = 2**2 = 4
v**v**v = 2**2**2 = 16
v**v**v**v = 2**2**2**2 = 65536

I would expect 2**2**2**2 to be 256

Exponentiation is right-associative. I.e. 2**2**2**2 == 2**(2**(2**2))

The reason is that left-associativity is better written with multiplication.

(x**y)**z == x**(y*z)

--
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
an underlying truth."
-- Umberto Eco

[Christian Heimes]

databyss wrote:

I would expect 2**2**2**2 to be 256

I stumbled upon it, too.

2**2**2**2 == 2**(2**(2**2)) == 2**16 == 65536

Christian

[Michael J. Fromberger]

In article
<29**********************************@r60g2000hsc. googlegroups.com>,
databyss <da******@gmail.comwrote:

I have a simple program and the output isn't what I expect. Could
somebody please explain why?

Here's the code:

#simple program
print "v = 2"
v = 2
print "v**v = 2**2 =", v**v
print "v**v**v = 2**2**2 =", v**v**v
print "v**v**v**v = 2**2**2**2 =", v**v**v**v
#end program

Here's the output:

>>

v = 2
v**v = 2**2 = 4
v**v**v = 2**2**2 = 16
v**v**v**v = 2**2**2**2 = 65536

>>

I would expect 2**2**2**2 to be 256

Python's ** operator associates to the right, not to the left; thus,

2 ** 2 ** 2 ** 2

.... really means

2 ** (2 ** (2 ** 2))

.... and not

((2 ** 2) ** 2) ** 2

.... as you seem to expect. As usual, you can enforce different
associations by explicitly including the parentheses.

Cheers,
-M

--
Michael J. Fromberger | Lecturer, Dept. of Computer Science
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~sting/ | Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA