Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Methods of computing square roots are algorithms for approximating the non-negative square root of a positive real number. Since all square roots of natural numbers , other than of perfect squares , are irrational , [ 1 ] square roots can usually only be computed to some finite precision: these methods typically construct a series of ...
A positive number has two square roots, one positive, and one negative, which are opposite to each other. When talking of the square root of a positive integer, it is usually the positive square root that is meant. The square roots of an integer are algebraic integers—more specifically quadratic integers.
A square root of a number x is a number r which, when squared, becomes x: =. Every positive real number has two square roots, one positive and one negative. For example, the two square roots of 25 are 5 and −5. The positive square root is also known as the principal square root, and is denoted with a radical sign:
Square roots of negative numbers are called imaginary because in early-modern mathematics, only what are now called real numbers, obtainable by physical measurements or basic arithmetic, were considered to be numbers at all – even negative numbers were treated with skepticism – so the square root of a negative number was previously considered undefined or nonsensical.
Laguerre's method may even converge to a complex root of the polynomial, because the radicand of the square root may be of a negative number, in the formula for the correction, , given above – manageable so long as complex numbers can be conveniently accommodated for the calculation. This may be considered an advantage or a liability ...
To find the number of negative roots, change the signs of the coefficients of the terms with odd exponents, i.e., apply Descartes' rule of signs to the polynomial = + + This polynomial has two sign changes, as the sequence of signs is (−, +, +, −) , meaning that this second polynomial has two or zero positive roots; thus the original ...
The two square roots of a negative number are both imaginary numbers, and the square root symbol refers to the principal square root, the one with a positive imaginary part. For the definition of the principal square root of other complex numbers, see Square root § Principal square root of a complex number.
Newton's method is one of many known methods of computing square roots. Given a positive number a, the problem of finding a number x such that x 2 = a is equivalent to finding a root of the function f(x) = x 2 − a. The Newton iteration defined by this function is given by