The result is the square root of each number in column B. To get the square root of 16: To get the square root of a number in cell A1:
Negative numbers
If you give SQRT a negative number, it returns a #NUM! error: To use the SQRT function with negative numbers you nest the ABS function inside SQRT like this: The ABS function converts the negative number to a positive number and returns the result to the SQRT function, which calculates a final result.
Exponent operator (^)
Another way to get the square root of a number in Excel is to use the exponent operator , the caret (^). To return the square root of a number in A1, you can use a formula like this: The screen below shows how this formula looks in a worksheet:
Nth root
Excel does not have a built-in function to get the nth root of a number. However, you can calculate the nth root of a number by raising the number to the power of 1/n: The screen below shows this formula in use:
Square root with POWER
You can get also get the square root or nth root of a number with the POWER function. POWER is a general function for raising a number to a given power, for example: The general form for getting the nth root with POWER is: For example: The screen below shows how the POWER function can be used to calculate square root of the numbers in column A:
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
