How is built-in function pow() function different from function math.pow() ? Explain with an example.

How is built-in function pow() function different from function math.pow() ? Explain with an example.

The built-in function pow() and the function math.pow() both serve the purpose of calculating the power of a number, but they have some differences:

pow() Function:

• Syntax: pow(base, exp[, mod])

• Description: Takes two or three parameters: the base, exponent, and optionally a modulus. If a modulus is provided, pow() computes (base ** exp) % mod.

• Type: Built-in function.

• Return Value: Integer if all arguments are integers, otherwise a float.

math.pow() Function:

• Syntax: math.pow(x, y)

• Description: Takes two parameters: the base x and the exponent y. It always returns x raised to the power of y.

• Type: Part of the math module.

• Return Value: Always returns a float, regardless of input types.

Example:

import math

# Using built-in pow()
result1 = pow(2, 3)            # 2^3 = 8
mod_result = pow(2, 3, 3)      # (2^3) % 3 = 8 % 3 = 2

# Using math.pow()
result2 = math.pow(2, 3)       # 2^3 = 8.0

print("Built-in pow:", result1)                # Output: 8
print("Built-in pow with modulus:", mod_result) # Output: 2
print("math.pow:", result2)                    # Output: 8.0

• pow(2, 3) returns 8 (an integer).

• pow(2, 3, 3) returns 2 (it calculates (8 % 3)).

• math.pow(2, 3) returns 8.0 (a float).

In summary:

• The built-in pow() can take an optional third mod argument and returns an integer if all inputs are integers.

• The math.pow() always returns a float and does not accept a modulus argument.