separating dimensions
is called the nth root of x, where is a natural number.
odd roots
When is odd, is defined to be the unique real number, , such that . The domain is all real numbers.
even roots
When is even, is defined to be the unique nonnegative real number, , such that . The domain is all nonnegative real numbers.
An alternate point-of-view uses radical notation rather than exponents.
where is called the radical symbol.
is called the nth root of x.
Algebra Rules
The nth-root is an exponent, so it follows all of the exponent rules.
Similar rules for radicals.
Graphs
Negative numbers raised to odd powers result in negative numbers, which means every real number has an odd root. The domain of odd roots or radicals is all real numbers.
Negative numbers raised to even powers result in positive numbers, just like positive numbers raised to even power. This makes going backwards a problem.
Should or ? When squared, both and give .
We are forced to choose between two even roots. We pick positive numbers . The domain and range of even roots are both .
There are no horizontal asymptotes on these graphs. The graph keeps moving up or down unbounded. The root and radical functions are unbounded. Their values tend to as the domain moves out towards .
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more examples can be found by following this link
More Examples of Elementary Functions