Square Root - Square Roots of Negative and Complex Numbers

Square Roots of Negative and Complex Numbers

The square of any positive or negative number is positive, and the square of 0 is 0. Therefore, no negative number can have a real square root. However, it is possible to work with a more inclusive set of numbers, called the complex numbers, that does contain solutions to the square root of a negative number. This is done by introducing a new number, denoted by i (sometimes j, especially in the context of electricity where "i" traditionally represents electric current) and called the imaginary unit, which is defined such that i2 = –1. Using this notation, we can think of i as the square root of –1, but notice that we also have (–i)2 = i2 = –1 and so –i is also a square root of –1. By convention, the principal square root of –1 is i, or more generally, if x is any positive number, then the principal square root of –x is

The right side (as well as its negative) is indeed a square root of –x, since

For every non-zero complex number z there exist precisely two numbers w such that w2 = z: the principal square root of z (defined below), and its negative.