In Python, the "pow()" function is a built-in function that is used to compute the power of a number. The function takes two arguments, the base and the exponent, and returns the result of raising the base to the power of the exponent.
The "pow()" function can be used to perform a variety of mathematical operations, such as exponentiation, modular exponentiation, and modular inverse. Let's take a look at some examples to understand the usage of the "pow()" function in Python:
Example 1: Computing the power of a number
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result = pow(2, 3)
print(result)
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In this example, we are using the "pow()" function to compute the value of 2 raised to the power of 3. The function returns the value 8, which is the result of the computation.
Example 2: Computing the modular exponentiation of a number
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result = pow(2, 3, 5)
print(result)
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In this example, we are using the "pow()" function to compute the modular exponentiation of 2 raised to the power of 3, modulo 5. The third argument to the function specifies the modulus, which is the number by which the result is divided to get the remainder. The function returns the value 3, which is the remainder of the division of 8 by 5.
Example 3: Computing the modular inverse of a number
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result = pow(2, -1, 5)
print(result)
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In this example, we are using the "pow()" function to compute the modular inverse of 2 modulo 5. The second argument to the function specifies the negative exponent, which is equivalent to computing the inverse of the base modulo the modulus. The function returns the value 3, which is the modular inverse of 2 modulo 5.
In conclusion, the "pow()" function in Python is a powerful built-in function that allows us to perform a variety of mathematical operations involving exponentiation and modular arithmetic. This function is useful in many applications, such as cryptography, number theory, and scientific computing.