Comment 1 for bug 288446

This isn't a bug so much as what would likely be a significant enhancement request.
This would require the implementation of complex numbers in gcalctool.

A brief explaination:

fractional exponents are the same as exponentiated roots, (not sure if I have the terminology right there). for example "x to the 1/2" is the same as saying "the square root of x". This isn't a problem until we allow negative bases, which requires the roots of negative numbers and can often force the usage of complex numbers. There are certainly better explanations of this on the web, but in any case, this is beyond the scope of gcalctool since it doesn't allow complex numbers to the best of my knowledge.