Although calculating a square root in Java isn’t such a common question for software development interviews, sometimes, an interview might ask you something like:
“You have an integer x. Create a Java program that would calculate its square root”.
To make sure that such a basic question doesn’t catch you off guard, let’s take a look at how to do square root in Java.
Square and Square Root: Reviewing Math Concepts
To make sure you have no confusion when dealing with squares and roots, let’s review the theory of this concept.
A square of a number is that number multiplied by itself. If n = 4, then n^2 = 4 4 = 16.
The square root of a number is the number that, if multiplied by itself, gives a given value X.
For example, you have to find the square root of n = 16, by finding a number that, if elevated to the power of two gives 16, you will solve the problem. In the case of n, the square root of the number 16 is 4 (since 4 * 4 = 16).
How to Do Square Root in Java Using java.lang.Math.sqrt()
The most common way to find a square root of a number in Java is by applying the java.lang.Math.sqrt() method. Here’s the general syntax of the java.lang.Math.sqrt() method:
public static double sqrt(double a)
In the method, a is a value elevated to the power of two you want to get square root for.
Onc a developer applies java.lang.Math.sqrt(), the method will return the positive square root of a (if the a is greater than 0). For negative arguments, java.lang.Math.sqrt returns a NaN output.
Special cases of java.lang.Math.sqrt() returns
As mentioned above, in most cases, the method returns positive values. However, there are a few specific cases a developer should be aware of when creating a root-finding program.
For arguments that have NaN values or are negative, the method will return a NaN result.
For arguments that are positive infinitely, the method will return an infinitely positive result.
For arguments consisting of a positive or negative zero, the square root of a will equal a.
Example of using java.lang.Math.sqrt()
package MyPackage;
public class SquareRoot2 {
public static void main(String args[])
{
double a = 100;
System.out.println(Math.sqrt(a));
// For positive values, the output is the square root of x
double b = -81.00;
System.out.println(Math.sqrt(b));
// For negative values as input, Output NaN
double c = 0.0/0;
// Input NaN, Output NaN
System.out.println(Math.sqrt(c));
double d = 1.0/0;
// For inputs containing positive infinity, Output positive infinity
System.out.println(Math.sqrt(d));
double e = 0.0;
// Input positive Zero, Output positive zero
System.out.println(Math.sqrt(e));
}
}
Finding Square Roots in Java Practice Problem
Now that you know how to create a program that calculates square roots in Java, let’s take a look at how the concept fits into more advanced practice problems. For example, an interviewer might ask you to solve a quadratic equation.
Let’s take a look at how to handle such a problem.
Problem: solve a quadratic equation where a = 1, b = 5, c = 2.
Solution:
import java.util.Scanner;
public class Exercise2 {
public static void main(String[] Strings) {
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
System.out.print("Input a: ");
double a = input.nextDouble();
System.out.print("Input b: ");
double b = input.nextDouble();
System.out.print("Input c: ");
double c = input.nextDouble();
double result = b * b - 4.0 * a * c;
if (result > 0.0) {
double r1 = (-b + Math.pow(result, 0.5)) / (2.0 * a);
double r2 = (-b - Math.pow(result, 0.5)) / (2.0 * a);
System.out.println("The roots are " + r1 + " and " + r2);
} else if (result == 0.0) {
double r1 = -b / (2.0 * a);
System.out.println("The square root is " + r1);
} else {
System.out.println("There are no real square roots in the equation.");
}
}
}
Conclusion
This was a brief rundown on finding a square root of a number in Java. For a software development beginner, it’s a good idea to practice different scenarios (a>0, a<0, a = 0) to get a solid grasp of the concept. Once you understand the ins and outs of the java.lang.Math.sqrt method, start applying the method in complex programs, handling tasks like solving quadratic equations.
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