square root

noun

1. a quantity of which a given quantity is the square:

   The quantities +6 and −6 are square roots of 36 since (+6)×(+6)=36 and (−6)×(−6)=36.

square root

noun

1. a number or quantity that when multiplied by itself gives a given number or quantity

   2 is a square root of 4, usually written √4 or 41/2

square root

1. A number that, when squared, yields a given number. For example, since 5 × 5 = 25, the square root of 25 (written √25) is 5.

square root

1. A number that, when multiplied by itself, will result in a given number. The square root of four is two; the square root of one hundred is ten.

Notes

The square roots of many numbers, such as three, are irrational numbers .

Word History and Origins

Origin of square root¹

First recorded in 1550–60

Example Sentences

Imaginary numbers result from taking the square root of a negative number.

From Science News

So as not to give a more prolific pollster too much influence over the average, polls are weighted by one over the square root of the number of polls each pollster conducted in a specific category.

From FiveThirtyEight

Spinors, which are a kind of square root of vectors, had been introduced in algebra and also in physics as part of Paul Dirac’s theory of the electron.

From Quanta Magazine

Instead of establishing a universal constant, the best they could do was establish a factor that works out to roughly the square root of the dimension the shape lives in.

From Quanta Magazine

Averages are weighted by the square root of the number of polls that a particular pollster conducted for that particular type of election in that particular cycle.

From FiveThirtyEight

In previous tournaments, no one had been able to complete all 10 square root problems within the time limit.

From The Daily Beast

Does a knowledge of botany necessarily involve a knowledge of square root and cube root?

From Project Gutenberg

I wanted to go through square root, but he said he didn't know anything about square root, and it wasn't any use, anyway.

From Project Gutenberg

You refused my help in square root, and are taking lessons in painting from Miss Hartwell.

From Project Gutenberg

Or, once more, the speed of each planet in its orbit is as the inverse square-root of its distance from the sun.

From Project Gutenberg

A common rule is that the rate rises as the square root of the distance, rather than in proportion to it.

From Project Gutenberg