TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for ^: float and int

TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for ^: float and int #

The Python "TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for ^: float and int" occurs when we use the bitwise XOR operator when we meant to use the exponentiation operator. To solve the error, use the exponentiation (**) operator instead.

Here is an example of how the error occurs.

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my_float = 3.3

my_int = 2

# ⛔️ TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for ^: 'float' and 'int'
result = my_float ^ my_int

The caret ^ symbol is the bitwise XOR (exclusive or) operator.

To solve the error use the exponentiation (**) operator instead.

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my_float = 3.3

my_int = 2

result = my_float ** my_int

print(result)  # 👉️ 10.889999999999999

Alternatively, you can use the math.pow() method.

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import math

my_float = 3.3

my_int = 2

result = math.pow(my_float, my_int)

print(result)  # 👉️ 10.889999999999999

The math.pow method takes 2 numbers - x and y and returns x raised to the power of y.

Unlike the built-in ** (exponentiation) operator, math.pow() converts both of its arguments to type float.

If you need to compute exact integer powers, use the ** operator or the built-in pow() function.

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import math

my_int = 2
my_other_int = 4

print(pow(my_int, my_other_int))  # 👉️ 16

print(my_int ** my_other_int)  # 👉️ 16

print(math.pow(my_int, my_other_int))  # 👉️ 16.0

Notice that the math.pow() method returns a float value because it converts both of its arguments to floats.

Conclusion #

The Python "TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for ^: float and int" occurs when we use the bitwise XOR operator when we meant to use the exponentiation operator. To solve the error, use the exponentiation (**) operator instead.