Exponentiation – Meaning of exp(?)

exponentiationnotation

What is the meaning of the notation $\exp(\text{expression})$ ?

I think that it's something of the form $a^\text{expression}$ but does it mean that the base $a=e$ or can it be any base?

Best Answer

$\exp(x)=e^x$

Where $e$ is Euler's Number (approx. $2.718281828$).

This notation is common when $x$ is complicated and messy when put in the form $e^x$ (like large fractions or polynomials, for instance). Also, $\exp$ is the name of the $e^x$ function in many programming languages.

$e$ is a very important constant that appears in many fields of mathematics. The inverse of the $\exp(x)$ function is the natural logarithm (often written as $\log(x)$, $\ln(x)$ or $\log_e(x)$).

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