The Square Root of Two

The square root of two is a number that, when multiplied by itself, equals 2. It’s an irrational number, meaning it cannot be expressed exactly as a simple fraction, and its decimal form goes on infinitely without repeating: approximately 1.4142. To visualize, imagine a square with sides of one unit; its diagonal length, by the Pythagorean theorem, is the square root of two units. This number is fundamental in mathematics, especially in geometry and algebra, as it appears in various calculations involving right triangles and distances.