Root (operation)
The 
th root of a number 
, denoted by ![$\sqrt[n]{x}$](http://latex.artofproblemsolving.com/0/2/d/02d35112ae0400463779b8c3320f3bc597d81374.png)
, is a common operation on numbers and a partial inverse to exponentiation. (The proper inverse is the logarithm)
Definition
For any (not necessarily real) numbers 
, ![$y=\sqrt[n]{x}$](http://latex.artofproblemsolving.com/9/9/6/9962081cf8b6e34039528449be2773a54b04cf8d.png)
if 
. Note that we generally take only the positive value of 
, if we wish to take both the positive and negative roots, we write ![$\pm\sqrt[n]{x}$](http://latex.artofproblemsolving.com/6/6/3/663f9e8b75a5e424090d648fb042a266557b4538.png)
.
See Also
- Algebra
- Square root, a special form of a root.
