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Radical sign
The radical sign (√) describes a square root.
Explanation
To write a square root you can use different formats, such as
√b² − 4ac = √(b² − 4ac) = (b² − 4ac)1/2 = (b² − 4ac)0.5
The solid stripe of the radical sign has the same meaning as the use of parentheses.
Example 1
The calculation of 2√2 × 2√2 = 8 can be done as
because a radical sign is an implicit multiplication.
HistoryThe root sign probably originated after 1525 from the letter r (latin: radix for root). |