diff --git a/collects/tests/racket/number.rktl b/collects/tests/racket/number.rktl
index c2c1e044de..2977faa22b 100644
--- a/collects/tests/racket/number.rktl
+++ b/collects/tests/racket/number.rktl
@@ -552,6 +552,8 @@
 (test -0.0 expt -0.1 10000000000001.0)
 (test 0.0 expt -0.0 10000000000000.0)
 (test -0.0 expt -0.0 10000000000001.0)
+(test 0.0 expt -10.0 -10000000000000.0)
+(test -0.0 expt -10.0 -10000000000001.0)
 
 (err/rt-test (max 0 'a))
 (err/rt-test (min 0 'a))
diff --git a/src/racket/src/number.c b/src/racket/src/number.c
index 2ecec0860f..f2cf488fdc 100644
--- a/src/racket/src/number.c
+++ b/src/racket/src/number.c
@@ -2732,8 +2732,9 @@ static double sch_pow(double x, double y)
     double r;
     r = protected_pow(x, y);
     if ((r == 0.0) && !minus_zero_p(r)) {
-      /* check large odd power of a small negative number,
+      /* check zero result of a odd power of a negative number,
          which some libraries get wrong for some reason */
+      if (y < 0) y = -y;
       if ((x < 0) && (fmod(y, 2.0) == 1.0)) {
 	r = scheme_floating_point_nzero;
       }