Behavior of Python ** and % operators with big numbers

Question

When I put in Python interpreter a ** b % c with large a (20 figures) b (4 figures) c (20 figures) I saw that Python calculates it pretty fast, almost like pow (a,b,c). I expect

Answer 1

There is no magic behind the scenes, other than Python supports arbitrary-precision integers, and is well-implemented. It really did calculate a**b, then %c.