The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):
two-to-the-N
quant.
An amount much larger than N but smaller than infinity. ?I have
2-to-the-N things to do before I can go out for lunch? means you probably
won't show up.
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
two-to-the-N
An amount much larger than N but smaller than infinity.
"I have 2-to-the-N things to do before I can go out for lunch"
means you probably won't show up.
Numbers of the form two-to-the-N are very important in
computing because they represent the value of bit N of a
binary number (counting from 0) and the number of things you
can count with an N bit number.
[Jargon File]
(1994-12-06)