Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Finding the Nth Root of a Number.
You may be wondering how to use Excel to derive different roots of a number. Finding a square root is easy: you just use the SQRT function. For instance, the following returns the square root of the value in cell B7:
=SQRT(B7)
What about different roots, however? What if you want the fifth root of the value in B7, instead of the square root? Unless you are a math whiz (and I am not), the answer may not be that obvious. All you need to do is raise the value to the power of 1/n. For instance, if you want that fifth root of B7, then you would use the following formula:
=B7^(1/5)
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12350) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Finding the Nth Root of a Number.
Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!
When working with text in a formula, you may need to extract the left-most characters from a string of text or from a ...
Discover MoreThe DSUM function is very handy when you need to calculate a sum based on data that matches criteria you specify. If you ...
Discover MoreNeed to know what day of the year a certain date is? You can figure it out easily using the formulas in this tip.
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2017-09-25 10:20:04
Ronald Finnerty
this did not answer the finding nth root question. It merely shows how nth root calculation work.
If I have a number and need to find the nth root of base 2 of the number i am no further along with your solution.
i only know the answer is 2^1/n so how do i find n?
2017-06-20 09:22:53
Dennis Costello
Just to be pedantic, I'll point out that Maarten is almost correct. He said:
2^-1 for instance is 0.5 (2/2^1)
2^-3 is 0.125 (2/2^3)
When he meant
2^-1 for instance is 0.5 (1 / 2^1)
2^-3 is 0.125 (1 / 2^3)
2016-06-30 17:20:39
Maarten Daams
You can even use negative exponents.
2^-1 for instance is 0.5 (2/2^1)
2^-3 is 0.125 (2/2^3)
etc.
And so on.
Of course fractional negative exponents work also, but that is more complicated
2016-06-11 06:08:43
Polarisking
The POWER function also works here,
POWER(B7,1/5)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2020 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: 
Comments