What is an exponent the little number?

An exponent, often represented as a small number written above and to the right of a base number, indicates how many times the base is multiplied by itself. For example, in the expression (2^3), the exponent (3) means that (2) is multiplied by itself three times: (2 \times 2 \times 2), which equals (8). Exponents can also represent roots, such as (x^{1/2}) for the square root of (x).