Exponentiation

Exponentiation is a mathematical operation, written as bⁿ, involving two numbers, the base b and the exponent n. When n is a positive integer, exponentiation corresponds to repeated multiplication of the base: that is, bⁿ is the product of multiplying n bases:

In that case, bⁿ is called the n-th power of b, or b raised to the power n.

The exponent is usually shown as a superscript to the right of the base. Some common exponents have their own names: the exponent 2 (or 2nd power) is called the square of b (b²) or b squared; the exponent 3 (or 3rd power) is called the cube of b (b³) or b cubed. The exponent −1 of b, or 1 / b, is called the reciprocal of b.

When n is a negative integer and b is not zero, bⁿ is naturally defined as 1/b⁻ⁿ, preserving the property bⁿ × b^m = b^{n + m}.

The definition of exponentiation can be extended to allow any real or complex exponent. Exponentiation by integer exponents can also be defined for a wide variety of algebraic structures, including matrices.

Million

One million (1,000,000) or one thousand thousand is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione (milione in modern Italian), from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one. It is commonly abbreviated as m or M; further MM ("thousand thousands", from Latin "Mille"; not to be confused with the Roman numeral MM = 2,000), mm, or mn in financial contexts.

In scientific notation, it is written as 7006100000000000000♠1×10⁶ or 10⁶.Physical quantities can also be expressed using the SI prefix mega (M), when dealing with SI units; for example, 1 megawatt (1 MW) equals 1,000,000 watts.

The meaning of the word "million" is common to the short scale and long scale numbering systems, unlike the larger numbers, which have different names in the two systems.

The million is sometimes used in the English language as a metaphor for a very large number, as in "Not in a million years" and "You're one in a million", or a hyperbole, as in "I've walked a million miles" and "You've asked the million-dollar question".