Multiplication on steroids.
Repeated multiplication of the same number (Powers).
Descartes introduced the superscript notation (x²) in 1637.
2³ is not 6! It's 2 * 2 * 2 = 8.
In Plain English: Multiplication is lazy adding (5+5+5 = 5x3). Exponents are lazy multiplication (5x5x5 = 5³). The big number is the Base, the little number is the Exponent.
In The Real World: Computer memory (Gigabytes) grows by powers of 2. Population growth is exponential.
Thinking 5² is 10. It is 25.