| Updated: October 28, 2024 | 
Compute the exponential function of a number
#include <math.h> double exp( double x ); float expf( float x ); long double expl( long double x );
Your system requirements will determine how you should work with these libraries:
These functions compute the exponential function of x (i.e., ex).
To check for error situations, use feclearexcept() and fetestexcept(). For example:
The exponential value of x.
| If x is: | These functions return: | Errors: | 
|---|---|---|
| ±0.0 | 1 | — | 
| A value that would cause overflow | Inf | FE_OVERFLOW | 
| A value that would cause underflow | 0.0 | FE_UNDERFLOW | 
| -Inf | 0.0 | — | 
| Inf | Inf | — | 
| NaN | NaN | — | 
These functions raise FE_INEXACT if the FPU reports that the result can't be exactly represented as a floating-point number.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <math.h>
#include <fenv.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main( void )
{
    int except_flags;
    feclearexcept(FE_ALL_EXCEPT);
    printf( "%f\n", exp(.5) );
    except_flags = fetestexcept(FE_ALL_EXCEPT);
    if(except_flags) {
        /* An error occurred; handle it appropriately. */
    }
    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}
produces the output:
1.648721
| Safety: | |
|---|---|
| Cancellation point | No | 
| Interrupt handler | Yes | 
| Signal handler | Yes | 
| Thread | Yes | 
The value of expm1(x) may be more accurate than exp(x) - 1.0 for small values of x.