radical sign

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. the symbol √ or indicating extraction of a root of the quantity that follows it, as √25=5 or .

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radical sign British  

noun

1. the symbol √ placed before a number or quantity to indicate the extraction of a root, esp a square root. The value of a higher root is indicated by a raised digit in front of the symbol, as in ³√

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Etymology

Origin of radical sign

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

Put parentheses only around the 5z since 3 is not under the radical sign.

From Textbooks • May 6, 2020

We use a radical sign, and write, m, which denotes the positive square root of m.

From Textbooks • May 6, 2020

If we want to find the negative square root of a number, we place a negative in front of the radical sign.

From Textbooks • Apr. 22, 2020

Since squaring a quantity and taking a square root are ‘opposite’ operations, we will square both sides in order to remove the radical sign and solve for the variable inside.

From Textbooks • Apr. 22, 2020

We know that every positive number has two square roots and the radical sign indicates the positive one.

From Textbooks • Apr. 22, 2020