What is 2 to the power of 4?

To solve the expression $2^4$, which reads as "two to the power of four" or "two raised to the fourth power," we need to understand the concept of exponentiation. Exponentiation is a mathematical operation that involves two numbers, the base (in this case, 2) and the exponent (in this case, 4). The exponent tells us how many times to multiply the base by itself.

Here is a step-by-step solution to calculate $2^4$:

Step 1: Identify the base and the exponent.
In the expression $2^4$, the base is 2, and the exponent is 4. This means we will multiply the number 2 by itself 4 times.

Step 2: Multiply the base by itself according to the exponent.
We will perform the multiplication step by step.

- First multiplication: $2 \times 2 = 4$
- Second multiplication: $4 \times 2 = 8$ (this is the result of multiplying the base two times)
- Third multiplication: $8 \times 2 = 16$ (this is the result of multiplying the base three times)

Step 3: Complete the final multiplication.
- Fourth multiplication: $16 \times 2 = 32$ (this is the result of multiplying the base four times, as required by the exponent)

Step 4: Write down the result.
After multiplying the base by itself four times, we get the final result of $32$.

Therefore, $2^4 = 32$.