Algorithm

To efficiently calculate the power of a number, especially when dealing with large exponents, we can use Binary Exponentiation. We reduce the number of multiplication operations needed to compute the power by breaking down the exponent to its half, smaller operations.

At each step of the loop, we check whether the current exponent is even or odd.

If the exponent is even, we square the base as xⁿ = (x²)^n/2.
If the exponent is odd, the algorithm multiples the result by the base as xⁿ = x(x^n-1).

Initialise a variable ans to store the result, starting with 1. Store the original exponent value as well.

Check if the base x is 0 or 1. If so, return the base itself.

If the exponent is negative, convert the base to its reciprocal and adjust the exponent.

Using a while loop, repeatedly divide the exponent by 2 until it becomes 0. Inside the loop, at each iteration:

If the current exponent is odd, multiply the result ans by the base x.

If the current exponent is even, square the base x.

Code