How to Calculation nth Root – Excel & Google Sheets
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This tutorial will teach you how to calculate the nth root of a number in Excel and Google Sheets.
Calculating nth Root using Caret Operator (^)
We can find the nth root of a number by raising that number to the exponential ‘1/N’. To calculate the nth root of a number you can either use the Caret Operator (^) or the POWER function.
The Caret Operator can be used in the following manner:
=B3^(1/C3)
The Caret Operator raises a number to power, by using a number between 0 and 1, we can take the root of the number. As shown in the first example above, by raising a number to 1/3, we can take the cube root of a number.
Note: Make sure ‘1/N’ is in parentheses to control the order of operations
Calculating nth Root using POWER Function
Alternatively, the nth root of a number can be calculated using the POWER function. Its syntax is:
=POWER(B3,1/C3)
Calculating nth Root of a Negative Number using ABS Function
In case the number is negative and N is an even number, the ABS function must be used to avoid the #NUM! error. The ABS function returns the absolute value of a negative number. Its syntax is:
=ABS(B3)^(1/C3)
In this example, the ABS function has been paired up with the Caret Operator (^) to find the nth root. It can also be nested in the POWER function in a similar manner.
Nth Root in Google Sheets
These formulas work exactly the same in Google Sheets as in Excel.
