Symbol hatr^2

Its job in the formula

hat$r^2$ is squared: multiply the underlying quantity by itself. The square is a mathematical operation, not a second independent variable.

Where the article explains it

where $\hat{r}^2$ is the mean squared correlation of allele frequencies across pairs of loci observed in the sample, and S is the sample size, with the 1/S term correcting for the sampling bias that a finite number of genotyped individuals introduces into $\hat{r}^2$ even when the true population $N_e$ is large.

Learn the underlying idea

An exponent tells how a base is used in multiplication. In x³, x is the base and 3 is the exponent: x³ = x × x × x.

Open the illustrated exponents: repeated multiplication and powers guide →