It is the power operator.

From the Python 3 docs:

The power operator has the same semantics as the built-in pow() function, when called with two arguments: it yields its left argument raised to the power of its right argument. The numeric arguments are first converted to a common type, and the result is of that type.

It is equivalent to 216 = 65536, or pow(2, 16)

Answer from rossoft on Stack Overflow
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W3Schools
w3schools.com › python › python_operators_arithmetic.asp
Python Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used with numeric values to perform common mathematical operations: Here is an example using different arithmetic operators: x = 15 y = 4 print(x + y) print(x - y) print(x * y) print(x / y) print(x % y) print(x ** y) print(x // y) Try it Yourself » · Python has two division operators: / - Division (returns a float) // - Floor division (returns an integer) Division always returns a float: x = 12 y = 5 print(x / y) Try it Yourself » ·
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › python-arithmetic-operators
Python Arithmetic Operators - GeeksforGeeks
The + operator is used to combine two values by adding them together. It returns the sum of both operands and is commonly used in mathematical calculations.
Published: May 27, 2026
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Arithmetic operators (article) | Khan Academy
I would like the first line to call which number is being used for x on the same line. So for example, I tried writing: x = 1 y = 2 print ("the first number is" + x) -------------------- I would like it to print "the first number is 1" How come this doesn't work, but below, the same text being asked to print works but it needs to go on two separate lines? x = 1 y = 2 print("x plus y evaluates to...") print(x + y)
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Arithmetic operators (article) | Khan Academy
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codingnomads.com › python-arithmetic-operators
Python Arithmetic Operators
The exponent operator is a single operator that consists of two asterisks (**). If you accidentally put a space in between these two symbols, Python will be confused and let you know by displaying a SyntaxError: invalid syntax. Revisit the section on numbers and math and apply some of the additional arithmetic operators you learned about in this lesson on integers and floating point numbers.
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docs.python.org › 3 › library › math.html
math — Mathematical functions
When both operands are (signed) NaNs or zeroes, return nan and 0 respectively and the sign of the result is implementation-defined, that is, fmin() is not required to be sensitive to the sign of such operands (see Annex F of the C11 standard, §F.10.0.3 and §F.10.9.3). Added in version 3.15. ... Return the floating-point remainder of x / y, as defined by the platform C library function fmod(x, y). Note that the Python expression x % y may not return the same result. The intent of the C standard is that fmod(x, y) be exactly (mathematically; to infinite precision) equal to x - n*y for some integer n such that the result has the same sign as x and magnitude less than abs(y).
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Arithmetic operators (article) | Khan Academy
In Python, the standard arithmetic operators are +, -, *, **, /, //, and %. When the computer evaluates an arithmetic expression, it follows the regular rules of math, including the order of operations.
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Arithmetic Operators in Python (+, -, *, /, //, %, **) | note.nkmk.me
May 11, 2025 - This article explains Python's arithmetic operators and their usage. Python supports basic arithmetic operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentiation—for numeric types ...
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Python Arithmetic Operators | Calculations
When an expression contains multiple operators, Python follows a standard order of operations, similar to mathematics (often remembered by acronyms like PEMDAS/BODMAS: Parentheses/Brackets, Exponents/Orders, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction).
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Python Arithmetic Operators Explained Simply (Full Tutorial) - YouTube
In Python, operators are special symbols that carry out arithmetic or logical computation. The value that the operator operates on is called the operand. In ...
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Enki | Blog - Arithmetic Operators
Master Python arithmetic operators like a pro with this informative guide on +, -, *, /, //, **, %, and more - boost your Python skills now!
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docs.python.org › 3 › library › operator.html
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The operator module exports a set of efficient functions corresponding to the intrinsic operators of Python. For example, operator.add(x, y) is equivalent to the expression x+y. Many function names are those used for special methods, without the double underscores. For backward compatibility, many of these have a variant with the double underscores kept. The variants without the double underscores are preferred for clarity. The functions fall into categories that perform object comparisons, logical operations, mathematical operations and sequence operations.
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libguides.ntu.edu.sg › python › arithmeticop
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August 26, 2026 - NP.12 Math with NumPy II · NP.13 Analysing data across arrays · NP.14 NumPy Exercises · Learning Resources · Contact Us · Python orders which operator goes first before others using PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponentiation, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction) Click the triangle button to run the codes and see the output: Questions ·
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quora.com › What-are-the-basic-math-operators-in-Python
What are the basic math operators in Python? - Quora
Answer (1 of 6): Assignment The assignment is the process of storing information in a memory location with an assigned name It is not limited to numerical data In the following expression: a = 2 + 3 + is the addition operator (specifically, an infix operator) 2 and 3 are operands (constants...
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September 17, 2025 - Python3 provides us data types like integer and float along with various operators to perform mathematical calculations for graph plotting, machine learning algorithms, etc.
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Basic Operators in Python | Earth Data Science - Earth Lab
September 3, 2019 - Operators are symbols in Python that carry out a specific computation, or operation, such as arithmetic calculations. Learn how to use basic operators in Python.
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mastermindcoding.com › home › python basics: introduction to mathematical operators
Python Basics: Introduction to Mathematical Operators - Mastermind Coding
June 15, 2025 - The exponent operator raises a number to the power of another. It is represented by two asterisks (**), where the number on the left is the base, and the number on the right is the exponent. ... Just like in math class, Python follows the same rules about which operations to do first.
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Python Operators Arithmetic Operators Assignment Operators Ternary Operator Comparison Operators Logical Operators Identity Operators Membership Operators Bitwise Operators Operator Precedence Code Challenge Python Lists
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August 25, 2026 - >>> 2+3 5 Here, + is the operator that performs addition. 2 and 3 are the operands and 5 is the output of the operation. Python has a number of operators which are classified below. Arithmetic operators are used to perform mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication etc.