Reference > The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy > 19. Physical Sciences and Mathematics
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  The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition.  2002.
 
power
 
 
In physics, the amount of energy put out or produced in a given amount of time. Power is often measured in watts or kilowatts.  1
In mathematics, a power is a number multiplied by itself the number of times signified by an exponent placed to the right and above it. Thus, 32, which means 3 × 3, is a power—the second power of three, or three squared, or nine. The expression 106, or ten to the sixth power, means 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10, or one million.  2
 
 
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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