Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!maytag!aries5!lhf
From: lhf@aries5.uucp (Luiz H. deFigueiredo)
Newsgroups: uw.general
Subject: Re: Pencil & Paper Square root method
Message-ID: <415@maytag.waterloo.edu>
Date: 24 Aug 89 20:39:29 GMT
References: <16075@watdragon.waterloo.edu> <491@watshine.waterloo.edu>
Sender: daemon@maytag.waterloo.edu
Reply-To: lhf@Self.UUCP (Luiz H. deFigueiredo)
Distribution: uw
Organization: Computer Systems Group, University of Waterloo
Lines: 18

In article <491@watshine.waterloo.edu> pfratar@watshine.waterloo.edu (Paul Frattaroli - DCS) writes:
>
>	The method I am familiar with is simply, subtract consecutive odd
>numbers starting at 1 ( 1, 3, 5 ...) from the nuber you want to take the 
>square root of and count the number of times you subtract.  When you have
>a remainder you can use long division to divide the next odd number into
>the remainder to get an approximate decimal.  The root is the number of
>times you subtract + any decimal from the long division.

This works because

 n^2 = 1 + 3 + ... + (2n-1)

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Luiz Henrique de Figueiredo		internet: lhf@aries5.waterloo.edu
Computer Systems Group			bitnet:   lhf@watcsg
University of Waterloo     (possible domains are waterloo.edu and uwaterloo.ca)
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