Square Roots of negative numbers: positive or negative?

Petenerd

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I am a little bit confused on square roots of negative numbers. For example sqrt -48. Would it be a negative number or a postitive number?
 
Re: Square Roots

Petenerd said:
I am a little bit confused on square roots of negative numbers. For example sqrt -48. Would it be a negative number or a postitive number?

Neither - square root of negative numbers are called imaginary numbers. Your text-book should have extensive discussion around this. You could also use google to find relevant articles to help you.
 
When I was in grade 7,8 and 9. Our teacher used to tell us that it is impossible to have a negative sign under the radical, but today :) after taking the complex numbers lessons it changed a lot,
And I think that what will happen to you also. :wink:

Aladdin
 
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