The math.sqrt() function in Python is used to calculate the square root of a non-negative number. It is part of the math module, which provides various mathematical functions and constants.

Syntax

import math
result = math.sqrt(x)

• x: The number for which you want to find the square root. It must be a non-negative number (either an integer or a float).

Return Value

• Returns the square root of x. If x is negative, a ValueError is raised.

Examples

1. Calculating the square root of a positive integer:

   import math
   
   result = math.sqrt(16)
   print(result)  # Output: 4.0
   

2. Calculating the square root of a positive float:

   result = math.sqrt(20.25)
   print(result)  # Output: 4.5
   

3. Using math.sqrt() with zero: The square root of zero is zero.

   result = math.sqrt(0)
   print(result)  # Output: 0.0
   

4. Handling negative numbers: If you try to compute the square root of a negative number, a ValueError is raised:

   try:
       result = math.sqrt(-4)
   except ValueError as e:
       print(e)  # Output: math domain error
   

5. Using the square root in mathematical expressions: You can use math.sqrt() in larger expressions:

   # Calculate the hypotenuse of a right triangle using the Pythagorean theorem
   a = 3
   b = 4
   hypotenuse = math.sqrt(a**2 + b**2)
   print(hypotenuse)  # Output: 5.0
   

Summary

• The math.sqrt() function computes the square root of a non-negative number.
• It returns a float, and attempting to compute the square root of a negative number raises a ValueError.
• It is a simple and efficient way to perform square root calculations in Python.