Pow operator precedence

[Stewart Gordon]

On 13/01/2012 18:18, Manu wrote:
<snip>
> It's NOT like it is in mathematics, there is no 'operator' in mathematics (maths uses a
> superscript, which APPEARS to be a unary operation). When using the operator, with spaces
> on either side, it looks like (and is) a binary operator.
<snip>

Actually, exponentiation _is_ an operator, just like + or - or × or ÷.  Or even ∩ or ∪, 
though these have completely different domains.  Indeed, strictly speaking, there's no 
distinction between operators and functions.

What does vary between operators, however, is the structure of the _notation_.  This has 
no bearing on its intrinsic nature as an operator.  The distinction is part of 
mathematical notation, not mathematics itself.

To put it differently, you could invent a mathematical notation of your own.  Doing so 
does not intrinsically change the mathematics.

Stewart.