square root

noun — 2 senses

square root

noun
1

Mathematics, Sciences The number which, when squared, yields another number.

  • Near-synonym: √
  • The square roots of 4 are 2 and −2, the square root of 0 is 0, and the square roots of −4 are 2i and −2i.
1 more example
  • In √a̅+̅b̅, the horizontal bar or vinculum is actually a parenthesis that groups a+b. Without it, √a+b might mean b+√a̅ or it might mean √a̅+̅b̅. Nevertheless, the square-root sign without the vinculum is often used[…].a. 1992, Frederick Mosteller, “Writing about Numbers”, in John C. Bailar III, Frederick Mosteller, editors, Medical Uses of Statistics, second edition, published 1992, page 388:
2

Mathematics, Sciences The positive number which, when squared, yields another number: the principal square root.

  • The square root of 4 is 2. No negative real square roots exist. Negative numbers have no real square roots.
Derived terms
square root of fuck all
Related terms
principal root, square number

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.