there is no " on the keyboard use "**instead ** ** syntaxerrorinvalid syntax spaces around the operator don' matter spaces in the operator do just as there is no mathematical symbol on the keyboard for multiplication and divisionthere is no symbol at all for raising to powers mathematically we represent it by superscripting the power after the number being raised we can' do this on the keyboard so instead we cheat and invent our own symbol for the operation computing has split for this operation some languages use the circumflex accent ("^"and othersincluding pythonuse double asterisk"**note that while spaces around the operator are ignored you can' split the two asterisks