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Square Roots


Mike McGarry
Lesson by Mike McGarry
Magoosh Expert

Summary
The content provides an in-depth exploration of square roots, focusing on their properties, how they relate to equations, and their implications for solving GMAT problems.
  • Square roots and their notation offer a way to discuss solutions to equations where the square of a variable does not equal a perfect square.
  • The radical sign indicates the positive root only, but when solving equations that result in taking a square root, both positive and negative roots must be considered.
  • It's impossible to take the square root of a negative number within the scope of the GMAT, focusing instead on positive numbers and zero.
  • Understanding the relationship between square roots and exponential growth is crucial, especially in determining the size relationship between a number and its square root.
  • Approximations for square roots are essential for solving problems on the GMAT, especially when exact values are not required.
Chapters
00:00
Understanding Square Roots
01:54
Positive and Negative Roots
07:13
Square Roots of Non-Perfect Squares
11:40
Square Roots and Exponential Growth

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