what is 9 to the power of 2

9 to the power of 2 is 81. That’s just 9 × 9—no smoke, no mirrors, no turbo lag. In maths-speak it’s “9 squared,” the area of a 9 cm by 9 cm square if you’re feeling geometric. Handy tip: squaring makes positive numbers bigger, negative numbers also positive, and egos occasionally unbearable.