Square Root of Negative Numbers Practice Problems

Master square roots of negative numbers with practice problems. Learn why negative numbers have no real square roots and solve related exercises step-by-step.

πŸ“šWhat You'll Practice and Master
  • Identify why negative numbers have no real square roots
  • Solve square root problems involving negative numbers
  • Distinguish between positive and negative square root scenarios
  • Apply the square root definition to determine when solutions exist
  • Practice recognizing 'no solution' cases in square root problems
  • Master the concept that squared positive numbers are always positive

Understanding Square Root of a Negative Number

Complete explanation with examples

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.

Detailed explanation

Practice Square Root of a Negative Number

Test your knowledge with 10 quizzes

Choose the largest value

Examples with solutions for Square Root of a Negative Number

Step-by-step solutions included
Exercise #1

64= \sqrt{64}=

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

Video Solution
Exercise #2

36= \sqrt{36}=

Step-by-Step Solution

Let's solve the problem step by step:

  • Step 1: Understand what the square root means.
  • The square root of a number nn is a value that, when multiplied by itself, equals nn. This is written as x=nx = \sqrt{n}.

  • Step 2: Apply this definition to the number 3636.
  • We are looking for a number xx such that x2=36x^2 = 36. This translates to finding x=36x = \sqrt{36}.

  • Step 3: Determine the correct number.
  • We know that 6Γ—6=366 \times 6 = 36. Therefore, the principal square root of 3636 is 66.

Thus, the solution to the problem is 36=6 \sqrt{36} = 6 .

Among the given choices, the correct one is: Choice 1: 66.

Answer:

6

Video Solution
Exercise #3

25= \sqrt{25}=

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we need to determine the square root of 25.

  • Step 1: The square root operation asks us to find a number that, when multiplied by itself, equals the given number, 25.
  • Step 2: Consider what number times itself equals 25. We note that 5Γ—5=255 \times 5 = 25.
  • Step 3: Thus, the square root of 25 is 5.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is 25=5\sqrt{25} = 5.

The correct answer is choice 2: 5.

Answer:

5

Video Solution
Exercise #4

100= \sqrt{100}=

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 xΓ—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=10Γ—10=100 10^2 = 10 \times 10 = 100

Step 3: Confirm the result: Since 10Γ—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

Video Solution
Exercise #5

81= \sqrt{81}=

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Understand that the square root of a number n n is a value that, when multiplied by itself, equals n n .
  • Step 2: Identify the number whose square is 81. Since 9Γ—9=81 9 \times 9 = 81 , the square root of 81 is 9.

Therefore, the square root of 81 is 9 9 .

Answer:

9

Video Solution

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't negative numbers have square roots?

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Negative numbers cannot have real square roots because any positive number multiplied by itself (squared) always produces a positive result. Since there's no positive number that when squared gives a negative result, negative numbers have no real square roots.

What should I write when asked to find the square root of a negative number?

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When solving problems involving the square root of negative numbers, your answer should be 'no solution' or 'no real solution.' This is because no real number exists that satisfies the condition.

Is the square root of -9 equal to -3?

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No, the square root of -9 is not -3. The square root of -9 has no real solution because (-3)Β² = 9, not -9. Remember that squaring any real number always gives a positive result.

How do I solve square root problems with negative numbers step by step?

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Follow these steps: 1) Identify if the number under the square root sign is negative, 2) Recall that square roots of negative numbers have no real solutions, 3) Write 'no solution' or 'undefined in real numbers' as your answer.

What's the difference between √9 and √-9?

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√9 = 3 because 3² = 9, while √-9 has no real solution because no real number when squared equals -9. This demonstrates why positive numbers have square roots but negative numbers don't.

Can calculators find square roots of negative numbers?

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Standard calculators will show an error when trying to find square roots of negative numbers because these have no real solutions. Some advanced calculators may display complex numbers, but in basic algebra, the answer is 'no solution.'

Why do exam questions include square roots of negative numbers?

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Teachers include these problems to test your understanding of when square roots exist and when they don't. It's important to recognize that not all mathematical expressions have real number solutions.

What are some common examples of negative square root problems?

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Common examples include: √-1 (no solution), √-4 (no solution), √-16 (no solution), and √-25 (no solution). In each case, the answer is 'no real solution' because no positive number squared gives a negative result.

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