bc Non-zero Scale in Exponent

This page answers questions like these:

• Why is bc saying “non-zero scale in exponent”?
  
• How to fix bc saying “non-zero scale in exponent”?
  

bc Runtime warning (func=(main), adr=9): non-zero scale in exponent:

• When trying to calculate BASE ^ EXPONENT using bc, it gives an error, then outputs the result as if the exponent were integral, so in the example above it outputs 4 which is 2^2.
• One way to get around this is to use the built-in natural logarithm functions as below.
• N.B. The function “l()” below has a lowercase L at the front, not a 1 (one).
  
  $ bc -l e(l(2)*2.5) <-- i.e. This calculates 2 ^ 2.5. 5.65685424949238019507 e(l(2)*0.5) <-- i.e. This calculates 2 ^ 0.5, i.e. √2. 1.41421356237309504878 e(l(2)*-0.5) <-- i.e. This calculates 2 ^ -0.5, i.e. 1 / √2. .70710678118654752440
  
• Pros: Works even if BASE is nonintegral. Works even if EXPONENT is negative.