On square roots and their representations (Q1080408)

The growth of knowledge through archeological discoveries and historical research over the last half-century, together with the renewed interest in old methods for their possible applications with the aid of modern computers, lend topicality to this survey of methods of calculation of square roots. While there is little that will not be already known to specialists, it is useful to have such a comprehensive summary, beginning with the Babylonian Pythagorean triples and Archimedes' approximations to \(\sqrt{3}\), then going on to describe a modification of the Indian solution of ''Pell's'' equation, rediscovered by Fermat, and the contributions of Euler and Lambert among others. An extensive bibliography is included.