Which operator is used to perform exponentiation in Python?

In Python, the operator used for exponentiation is the double asterisk (**) operator. This operator is specifically designed to raise a number to the power of another. For example, if you wanted to compute 2 raised to the power of 3, you would write it as 2 ** 3, which would evaluate to 8.

In contrast, the single asterisk (*) is used for multiplication. The caret symbol (^) has an entirely different function in Python; it performs a bitwise XOR operation rather than exponentiation. The double forward slash (//) is used for floor division, which divides two numbers and rounds down to the nearest whole number. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for writing accurate and effective Python code.