How is an exponent represented in SAS?

In SAS, an exponent is represented by the double asterisk symbol, **. This notation is used to perform exponentiation operations, allowing you to raise a number to a specified power. For example, writing 2 ** 3 in SAS would calculate 2 raised to the power of 3, producing the result of 8.

Using a single asterisk (*) indicates multiplication rather than exponentiation, and the division operator is represented by a forward slash (/). The caret symbol (^) is commonly used in some programming languages like Python for exponentiation but does not serve that purpose in SAS. Thus, the correct representation of an exponent in SAS is the double asterisk, making it crucial for users to remember this specific syntax when performing calculations involving exponents.