What it means
The square root of x is the non-negative number whose square is x. The bar over the expression shows how far the root extends; a small number in the crook, as in ∛, gives a cube or higher root.
Read aloud in real formulas
√(9 + 16) = 5
Aethel says
the square root of the quantity 9 plus 16 equals 5
the root covers the whole sum
SE = σ / √n
Aethel says
S E equals sigma over the square root of n
the standard error
Typing it
- LaTeX
- \sqrt{x}, \sqrt[3]{x}
- Unicode
- U+221A
Formulas that use it
Questions
How do you say √ out loud?
It is usually read “the square root of”, and also “root”.
What does √ mean in maths?
The square root of x is the non-negative number whose square is x. The bar over the expression shows how far the root extends; a small number in the crook, as in ∛, gives a cube or higher root.
How do you type √?
In LaTeX, write \sqrt{x}, \sqrt[3]{x}. Its Unicode code point is U+221A.