Exponentiation
When it is a positive integer, the exponent indicates how many copies of the base are multiplied together. For example, . The base appears times in the repeated multiplication, because the exponent is . Here, is the "base", is the "exponent", and is the "power" or, more specifically, "3 raised to the 5th power".
Linear logic
The exponentials are used to give controlled access to weakening and contraction. Specifically, we add
structural rules of weakening and contraction for ?'d propositions: