Square roots are numbers that return a given value when multiplied by themselves. 3 * 3 = 9, making the square root of 9 equal 3. Let’s learn how to calculate a square root in Microsoft Excel.
How to Find the Square Root of Any Number in Excel
Quick: what’s the square root of 729? Chances are, you don’t know that answer right away. Thanks to Excel, you don’t have to!
Let’s find the square root of 729 in Excel. To get started, click into an empty cell. Type =, which you’ll always use to begin every Excel formula.
Then, type SQRT, followed by (. Inside the parentheses, type 729, then ).
Your complete formula should look like this:
=SQRT(729)
Press Enter on your keyboard, and Excel returns your answer: 27.
How to Find the Square Root of Excel Data
Let’s say you have a table of data in Excel. Column A lists numbers, while Column B asks for the square root of the numbers in Column A.
Click into the first open cell, B2. Type = again, then SQRT(. But this time, instead of typing in the number, click on the adjacent cell containing the data. Here, that’s cell A2. Type ), and make sure your formula reads:
=SQRT(A2)
Hit Enter again, and you’ll see the square root value appear.
To find the square roots of the remaining data, you don’t have to type the formula in again. Instead, simply click and drag the lower right corner of cell B2 when the + symbol appears. Excel will automatically adjust the formula to reference each data point in turn.
As you can see, Excel makes math easy. Built-in formulas help you perform calculations in bulk, quickly, and with complete accuracy.
Pi in Excel