Why does 1**2**3**4**5 raise a MemoryError?

[Nobody]

On Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:39:56 +0000, Alex wrote:

> Given that
> 
>   3
>  5
> 4
> 
> (i.e.: 4**5**3) is transitive,

I think you meant "associative", and exponentiation isn't associative,
i.e. (x**y)**z is not, in general, equal to x**(y**z). In fact, (x**y)**z
is equal to x**(y*z).

Conventional mathematical notation interprets the above example as
4**(5**3). (4**5)**3 would be written with 4**5 parenthesised. Python
follows that convention, as do most languages which have an infix
exponentiation operator.