Squares and square roots; cubes and cube roots

Squares and square roots; cubes and cube roots

When a number is multiplied by itself (once), we say that it is squared. The index '2' is written in superscript after the number that is being squared.

For example:

7 X 7 = 7 squared

= 7²

= 49

The original number is the square root of the result. Finding the square root is the reverse of squaring a number. The square root symbol is .

For example:

5² = 5 X 5

= 25

= 5

When a number is multiplied by itself and then by the original number again, we say that it is cubed. The index '3' is written in superscript after the number that is being cubed.

For example:

8 X 8 X 8 = 8 cubed

= 8³

= 512

The original number is called the cube root of the result. Finding the cube root is the reverse of cubing a number. The cube root symbol is

For example:

4³ = 4 X 4 X 4

= 64

therefore = 4