Square Root of a Negative Number

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Square Root of a Negative Number

There is no root of a negative number since any positive number raised to the second power will result in a positive number.

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\( \sqrt{100}= \)

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Square Root of a Negative Number

Everything you need to know about the root of negative numbers is that... it simply does not exist!
Negative numbers do not have a root, if in an exam you come across an exercise involving the root of a negative number, your answer should be that it has no solution.
Want to understand the logic? Keep reading.


What is the root of a number?

The root is some number, let's suppose one that we will call XX that, in fact, will be positive and that, when multiplied by itself will give us XX.
For example, the root of 100100  will be a positive number that if we multiply it by itself we will obtain 100100 .
That is, 1010.
Instead of saying "multiply it by itself" we can say "raise it to the square".


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Why does a negative number not have a square root?

As we have seen, the root of any number, for example, AA is a positive number that if we square it will give us AA.
There is no positive number in the whole world that when squared will give us a negative number, therefore, negative numbers do not have a root.


Exercise Practice

Solve the exercise:
9=3\sqrt9=3
If we raise 33 to the power of two, we will get 99.
Another exercise
9=No solution\sqrt{-9} = No~solution
We will not be able to find any positive number that, when squared, gives us 9-9 since any positive number squared will be positive and never negative.


Do you know what the answer is?

Examples with solutions for Square Root of a Negative Number

Exercise #1

100= \sqrt{100}=

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

The task is to find the square root of the number 100. The square root operation seeks a number which, when squared, equals the original number. For any positive integer, if x2=100 x^2 = 100 , then x x should be our answer.

Step 1: Recognize that 100 is a perfect square. This means there exists an integer x x such that x×x=100 x \times x = 100 . Generally, we recall basic squares such as:

  • 12=1 1^2 = 1
  • 22=4 2^2 = 4
  • 32=9 3^2 = 9
  • and so forth, up to 102 10^2

Step 2: Checking integers, we find that:

102=10×10=100 10^2 = 10 \times 10 = 100

Step 3: Confirm the result: Since 10×10=100 10 \times 10 = 100 , then 100=10 \sqrt{100} = 10 .

Step 4: Compare with answer choices. Given that one of the choices is 10, and 100=10 \sqrt{100} = 10 , choice 1 is correct.

Therefore, the square root of 100 is 10.

Answer

10

Exercise #2

64= \sqrt{64}=

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Recognize what finding a square root means
  • Step 2: List known perfect squares to identify which one results in 64
  • Step 3: Verify the square root by calculation

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: To find the square root of 64, we seek a number that, when multiplied by itself, equals 64.
Step 2: Consider the sequence of perfect squares: 12=1 1^2 = 1 , 22=4 2^2 = 4 , 32=9 3^2 = 9 , 42=16 4^2 = 16 , 52=25 5^2 = 25 , 62=36 6^2 = 36 , 72=49 7^2 = 49 , 82=64 8^2 = 64 .
Step 3: We see that 82=64 8^2 = 64 . Therefore, the square root of 64 is 8.

Therefore, the solution to this problem is 8 8 .

Answer

8

Exercise #3

9= \sqrt{9}=

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we want to find the square root of 9.

Step 1: Recognize that a square root is a number which, when multiplied by itself, equals the original number. Thus, we are seeking a number x x such that x2=9 x^2 = 9 .

Step 2: Note that 9 is a common perfect square: 9=3×3 9 = 3 \times 3 . Therefore, the square root of 9 is the number that, when multiplied by itself, gives 9. This number is 3.

Step 3: Since we are interested in the principal square root, we consider only the non-negative value. Hence, the principal square root of 9 is 3.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is 3 3 .

Answer

3

Exercise #4

49= \sqrt{49}=

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Understand that finding the square root of a number means determining what number, when multiplied by itself, equals the original number.
  • Step 2: Identify the numbers that could potentially be the square root of 4949. These are ±7 \pm7, but by convention, the square root function typically refers to the non-negative root.
  • Step 3: Calculate 7×7=497 \times 7 = 49. This confirms that 49=7 \sqrt{49} = 7.
  • Step 4: Verify using the problem's multiple-choice answers to ensure 77 is among them, confirming choice number .

Therefore, the solution to the problem 49 \sqrt{49} is 7 7 .

Answer

7

Exercise #5

36= \sqrt{36}=

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Understand the definition of a square root.
  • Step 2: Identify which integer, when squared, gives 36.
  • Step 3: Verify this integer meets the required condition.
  • Step 4: Choose the correct answer from the given choices.

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: A square root of a number is a value that, when multiplied by itself, gives the original number. Here, we want y y such that y2=36 y^2 = 36 .
Step 2: We test integer values to find which one squared equals 36. Testing y=1,2,3,4,5, y = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 6 gives:
- 12=1 1^2 = 1
- 22=4 2^2 = 4
- 32=9 3^2 = 9
- 42=16 4^2 = 16
- 52=25 5^2 = 25
- 62=36 6^2 = 36

Step 3: The integer 6 6 satisfies 62=36 6^2 = 36 . Therefore, 36=6 \sqrt{36} = 6 .

Step 4: The correct choice from the given answer choices is 6 (Choice 4).

Hence, the square root of 36 is 6 \mathbf{6} .

Answer

6

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