Anybody having difficulty with squares and square roots? Your guide awaits.

I don’t particularly enjoy people going against me when I show off, but I have to say I am an absolute topper in my math class. Algebra, easy. Geometry, easy. Fractions, easy. Basic arithmetic, easiest. That’s why today I’m going to help with solving squares of numbers, and this a very easy method. Atleast it’s more easier than multiplying a number with the same number.
Now I myself only know the squares of numbers upto 25 by heart, and I’m only 13 years old. I’m not going to show off and simply dictate it. I’m going to give my method.

Here’s the tip
• Square of 1- 1
• Square of 2- 4
• Square of 3- 9
• Square of 4- 16
• Square of 5- 25
• Square of 6- 36

Take all these numbers into hand, and try to find a pattern. If you can’t find any, here’s a hint: subtraction. Look at the difference of 4 and 1. It’s 3. For 4 and 9? It’s 5. And for 9 and 16, it’s 7. Now, the differences are 3, 5 and 7. If you continue you will get 9, 11, 13, 15 and so on.
Got the tip? It is simply adding two more to the square from the previous square. If you didn’t understand what I just said, here’s how it goes-
Suppose you want the square root of 11. Simply use the method to get it to the square of 10, which is 100. That is, square of 1 plus 3 to get the square of 2, square of 2 plus the previous odd number used+ 2, which is 5, to get 9, which is the square root of 3. This method you can use till however long you please.
Now let’s get back to the sum we want to solve. The square of 11. By following the method, get it to the square of 10, which is 100. Difference between square of 10 and 9, 100-81 which is 19. Now you have the number 19. Add two to that, to get 21. Then you add that number to 100 and you’ll get the square of 11, exactly 121.
Pretty neat isn’t it?

Rohan Desai,
Grade 8