Question

Consider the following method.

public int compute(int n, int k)
{
int answer = 1;
for (int i = 1; i <= k; i++)
answer *= n;
return answer;
}

Which of the following represents the value returned as a result of the call compute(n, k) ?

a. 2ᵏ
b. kⁿ
c. nᵏ
d. n!
e. nk

Answer 1

The method compute(n, k) returns the value of n raised to the power of k, denoted as n^k. This is done by multiplying 1 by n, k times.

Step-by-step explanation:

The value returned as a result of the call compute(n, k) in the given method would be nk. The method computes the result by initializing an answer variable to 1 and then repeatedly multiplying it by n, a total of k times within a for loop. This process is equivalent to raising n to the power of k, hence n raised to the power of k (nk) is the correct representation of the method's functionality.

For example, if we consider n equal to 5 and k equal to 3, calling compute(5, 3) would result in 53 or 5 * 5 * 5, which equals 125. Based on the provided method, option c. nk is the correct answer to what the method computes.