What does this ^ symbol mean in algebra or basic math.

It means an exponent follows:

2^3 means two cubed, or 2*2*2 or 8.

Thankyou Bobpursley

The ^ symbol, sometimes called a caret or hat symbol, is used in algebra or basic math to indicate that a number or variable is raised to a certain power, which is represented by an exponent. In the example you provided, 2^3 means 2 raised to the power of 3.

To calculate the value of 2^3, you need to multiply 2 by itself three times. So, 2^3 is equal to 2 * 2 * 2, which equals 8.

In general, a^b represents a multiplied by itself b times.