Is 42 a perfect square?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking whether the number 42 is a perfect square, which requires determining if there exists an integer whose square equals 42.
Answer
No, 42 is not a perfect square.
Answer for screen readers
No, 42 is not a perfect square.
Steps to Solve
- Determine the square root of 42
To check if 42 is a perfect square, we need to find its square root. The square root of a number is a value that, when multiplied by itself, gives the original number.
Calculating the square root:
$$ \sqrt{42} $$
- Check if the square root is an integer
Next, we need to check if the value we found in the previous step is an integer. If the square root of 42 is a whole number, then 42 is a perfect square.
Using a calculator or estimating, we find that:
$$ \sqrt{42} \approx 6.48 $$
- Conclude if 42 is a perfect square
Since $\sqrt{42}$ is approximately 6.48, which is not an integer, we can conclude that there is no integer whose square equals 42.
Thus, we conclude that 42 is not a perfect square.
No, 42 is not a perfect square.
More Information
The number 42 is often cited in popular culture, especially in science fiction. Despite its fame, mathematically it does not fit the definition of a perfect square, which must be the square of an integer.
Tips
- Confusing the square root result with its integer status. Make sure to check if the square root is a whole number.
