Notation pow2 := (Nat.pow 2).Fixpoint Npow2 (n : nat) : N :=
  match n with
    | O => 1
    | S n' => 2 * Npow2 n'
  end%N.

Lemma pow2_bound_mono: forall a b x, x < pow2 a -> a <= b -> x < pow2 b.