C Program to Calculate the Power of a Number

In this programming tutorial, we will develop a C program to calculate the power of a number. Additionally, we’ll explore an alternative method using the pow() function from the math library. The program will include a step-by-step explanation of the algorithm, the C code implementation, and examples demonstrating the output.

Algorithm for Calculating Power

Method 1: Using a Loop

1. Input: Accept the base (base) and exponent (exponent) from the user.
2. Initialization: Set a variable result to 1.
3. Loop:
   • Multiply result by base for each iteration, repeating exponent times.
4. Output: Display the calculated power (result).

Method 2: Using pow() Function

1. Input: Accept the base (base) and exponent (exponent) from the user.
2. Function Call: Use the pow() function to calculate the power.
3. Output: Display the calculated power.

C Program for Calculating Power

Method 1: Using a Loop

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int base, exponent;
    long long result = 1;

    // Input base and exponent from the user
    printf("Enter base: ");
    scanf("%d", &base);
    printf("Enter exponent: ");
    scanf("%d", &exponent);

    // Calculate power using a loop
    for (int i = 0; i < exponent; i++) {
        result *= base;
    }

    // Display the result
    printf("%d^%d = %lld\n", base, exponent, result);

    return 0;
}

Method 2: Using pow() Function

#include <stdio.h>
#include <math.h>

int main() {
    int base, exponent;
    double result;

    // Input base and exponent from the user
    printf("Enter base: ");
    scanf("%d", &base);
    printf("Enter exponent: ");
    scanf("%d", &exponent);

    // Calculate power using pow() function
    result = pow(base, exponent);

    // Display the result
    printf("%d^%d = %.2f\n", base, exponent, result);

    return 0;
}

Output Examples

Example 1: Calculate Power Using a Loop

Enter base: 2
Enter exponent: 5
2^5 = 32

Example 2: Calculate Power Using pow() Function

Enter base: 3
Enter exponent: 4
3^4 = 81.00

Explanation

Method 1: Using a Loop

1. Input: The user provides the base (e.g., 2) and exponent (e.g., 5).
2. Initialization: Variables base, exponent, and result are initialized.
3. Loop: A for loop multiplies result by base for each iteration, repeating exponent times.
4. Output: The program displays the calculated power (result).

Method 2: Using pow() Function

1. Input: The user provides the base (e.g., 3) and exponent (e.g., 4).
2. Function Call: The pow() function is called to calculate the power.
3. Output: The program displays the calculated power.

Conclusion

These C programs efficiently calculate the power of a number using two different methods. The first method employs a loop to perform the multiplication iteratively, while the second method utilizes the pow() function. Run the programs with different base and exponent values to observe the results. If you have any questions or need further clarification, please feel free to ask!