text: function shouldBe(actual, expected)
  {
      if (actual !== expected)
          throw new Error('bad value: ' + actual);
  }
  
  {
      let i = 2;
      let j = 3;
      shouldBe(2 ** 3, 8);
      shouldBe(i ** 3, 8);
      shouldBe(2 ** j, 8);
      shouldBe(i ** j, 8);
  }
  
  {
      shouldBe(2 ** 3 ** 3, 134217728);
      shouldBe(2 ** 3 + 3, 11);
      shouldBe(2 ** 3 + 3 ** 3, 35);
      shouldBe(2 ** 3 * 3, 24);
      shouldBe(2 ** 3 * 3 ** 3, 216);
  
      shouldBe(2 + 3 ** 3, 29);
      shouldBe(2 * 3 ** 3, 54);
  }
  
  {
      let i = 2;
      i **= 4;
      shouldBe(i, 16);
      i **= 1 + 1;
      shouldBe(i, 256);
  }
  
  for (let i = 0; i < 1e4; ++i) {
      let a = Math.random();
      let b = Math.random();
      shouldBe(a ** b, Math.pow(a, b));
  }
  