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Squares, Square Roots, and the Quadratic Formula

In: Calculator Calculus

Author

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  • George McCarty

    (University of California)

Abstract

Since people began using numbers for measuring lengths, they have wanted to find the square roots of those numbers. There are many situations in which a square root is needed. For instance, knowing the square root is useful if you want to find the length of the side of a square field of a given area or the length of its diagonal when the side is known. The ancient Babylonian mathematicians were even solving quadratic equations in the time of Hammurabi, a Babylonian king of the eighteenth century B.C. Their method for approximating square roots was a first step in the more accurate repetitive process discovered by Hero of Alexandria about the time of Christ. This process, now known as Newton’s method, is universally used today.

Suggested Citation

  • George McCarty, 1982. "Squares, Square Roots, and the Quadratic Formula," Springer Books, in: Calculator Calculus, chapter 1, pages 1-13, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-1-4684-6484-9_1
    DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4684-6484-9_1
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