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Notation for the (principal) square root of x. For example, √ 25 = 5, since 25 = 5 ⋅ 5, or 5 2 (5 squared). In mathematics, a square root of a number x is a number y such that =; in other words, a number y whose square (the result of multiplying the number by itself, or ) is x.
Glossary of mathematical symbols. A mathematical symbol is a figure or a combination of figures that is used to represent a mathematical object, an action on mathematical objects, a relation between mathematical objects, or for structuring the other symbols that occur in a formula. As formulas are entirely constituted with symbols of various ...
n. th root. In mathematics, an nth root of a number x is a number r (the root) which, when raised to the power of the positive integer n, yields x: The integer n is called the index or degree, and the number x of which the root is taken is the radicand. A root of degree 2 is called a square root and a root of degree 3, a cube root.
A root of a nonzero univariate polynomial P is a value a of x such that P(a) = 0. In other words, a root of P is a solution of the polynomial equation P(x) = 0 or a zero of the polynomial function defined by P. In the case of the zero polynomial, every number is a zero of the corresponding function, and the concept of root is rarely considered.
Linear function: First degree polynomial, graph is a straight line. Quadratic function: Second degree polynomial, graph is a parabola. Cubic function: Third degree polynomial. Quartic function: Fourth degree polynomial. Quintic function: Fifth degree polynomial. Rational functions: A ratio of two polynomials. n th root.
Jargon often appears in lectures, and sometimes in print, as informal shorthand for rigorous arguments or precise ideas. Much of this is common English, but with a specific non-obvious meaning when used in a mathematical sense. Some phrases, like "in general", appear below in more than one section.
e. In mathematics, a root system is a configuration of vectors in a Euclidean space satisfying certain geometrical properties. The concept is fundamental in the theory of Lie groups and Lie algebras, especially the classification and representation theory of semisimple Lie algebras.
Roots of unity can be defined in any field. If the characteristic of the field is zero, the roots are complex numbers that are also algebraic integers. For fields with a positive characteristic, the roots belong to a finite field, and, conversely, every nonzero element of a finite field is a root of unity.