The sprint is a survival run. The clock starts at one minute. Each correct answer adds 3 seconds to the clock. The run ends when the clock reaches zero, or when you work out the 30th power.
The quiz shows one power at a time. The powers get harder every 5 answers, in 6 levels. Level 1 is 7² and 2⁵. Level 6 is 2²⁰, 17³ and 3¹⁰.
How to play
The clock starts at your first keystroke, not when the page opens.
You start with one minute. Each correct answer adds 3 seconds.
Powers come one at a time, in order. You cannot skip one.
Type the value. An exact match commits at once. Enter is optional.
A wrong answer on Enter shakes the box and clears it. There is no penalty, but the clock keeps running.
Every 5 answers, the powers move up one level. There are 6 levels.
The run ends when the clock reaches zero, or when you work out all 30 powers.
Your score is the number of powers you worked out. A full 30 ranks by time: the fastest player is first.
Select "Review answers" on the result screen to see each power you played, with its value.
What counts in this quiz
Up to 30 powers per run, in 6 levels of 5.
Level 1: squares to 10² and powers of two to 2⁵. Level 2: squares to 15², cubes to 5³, powers of two to 2⁸, powers of ten. Level 3: squares to 20², cubes to 8³, powers of three to 3⁵, 2¹⁰.
Level 4: squares to 25², cubes to 12³, 2¹¹ and 2¹², 5⁴, 6⁴. Level 5: squares to 40², 2¹³ to 2¹⁵, 3⁷, 3⁸, 15³, 20³. Level 6: squares to 60², cubes to 20³, 2¹⁶ to 2²⁰, 3⁹, 3¹⁰, 25³, 30³.
What's not included, and why
No negative exponents, no fractional exponents. Every power is a whole number to a whole-number power.
Good to know
2¹⁰ = 1,024 is why a kilobyte was long taken to be 1,024 bytes, not 1,000.
The rice-on-a-chessboard legend doubles one grain on each of 64 squares. The last square alone holds 2⁶³ grains, about 9 quintillion.