In mathematics, characteristic exponent may refer to:
Characteristic exponent of a field, a number equal to 1 if the field has characteristic 0, and equal to p if the field has characteristic p > 0 Lyapunov characteristic exponent, a quantity that characterizes the rate of separation Characteristic exponent of Stable distribution The logarithm of a characteristic function Logarithm of a characteristic multiplier in the Floquet theory Solution of the indicial equation of the Frobenius method