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Square Roots
by Ron Kurtus (updated 18 January 2022)
The square root is a number that when multiplied by itself will equal the initial number. For example, 7 is the square root of 49, since 7 times 7 equals 49. This is an interesting concept and can be difficult to grasp.
The symbol √ is called the radical sign and represents the square root operation. Many numbers have an integer square root. However, there are many more numbers with irrational square roots.
The result of taking the square root of a number consists of both a positive and negative number. However, when you take the square root of a negative number, the result is called an imaginary number.
Questions you may have include:
- What is the radical sign?
- How do you find the square root of a number?
- What are imaginary numbers?
This lesson will answer those questions.
Radical sign
The symbol √ is called the radical sign and represents the square root operation. Thus, √49 means the square root of 49, and √z means the square root of z.
You can also designate a square root by the 1/2 exponent, such as 491/2 or z1/2, but typically the radical sign is used.
Finding the square root
The result of taking the square root of a number consists of both a positive and negative number. Thus √49 = ±7 or +7 and −7. This is because both (+7)*(+7) and (−7)*(−7) equals 49.
Likewise √x2 = ±x
Many numbers have an integer square root. Common integer square roots are:
√1 = ±1 √36 = ±6 √4 = ±2 √49 = ±7 √9 = ±3 √64 = ± 8 √16 = ±4 √81 = ±9 √25 = ±5 √100 = ±10
However, there are many more square roots that are not integers, such as √2, √3, and √5. They are often repeating numbers:
√2 = ±1.414213562373095... or approximately ±1.414
√3 = ±1.7320508075688772... or approximately ±1.732
√5 = ±2.23606797749979... or approximately ±2.236
You can memorize many of the numbers that have an integer square root. Otherwise, you can use a calculator to find the square root or even use Newton's Square Root Approximation method. There are also online square root calculators.
Imaginary numbers
Note that when you take the square root of a negative number, the result is called an imaginary number. The square root of −1 or √(−1) is designated as the imaginary number i. In other words, it is not a real number in our numeric system.
When you take the square root of a negative number such as √(−49) you get an answer of ±7i. The reason is that −49 = −1*49.
Summary
The square root of a number is another number that when multiplied by itself will equal the initial number. The symbol √ is called the radical sign and represents the square root operation. Many numbers have an integer square root. The result of taking the square root of a number consists of both a positive and negative number. When you take the square root of a negative number, the result is called an imaginary number.
Be radical in your approach
Resources and references
Websites
Roots and Radicals - Purplemath.com
Square Root Calculator - Math.com
Square Root - Wikipedia
Books
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Students and researchers
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square_roots.htm
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Square Roots