Square root any nonnegative number, then the principal square root of −"x" is The right side (as well as its negative) is indeed a square root of −"x", since For every non-zero complex number "z" there exist precisely two numbers "w" such that : the principal square root of "z" (defined below), and its negative. There are two complex numbers that square to a given arbitrary non-zero imaginary number formula_11 with real formula_12 where the two-digit pattern {3, 6} repeats over and over again in the partial denominators. Since , the above is also identical to the following generalized continued fractions: The
Square root of a matrix a "positive-semidefinite matrix" has precisely one positive-semidefinite square root, which can be called its "principal square root". While the square root of a nonnegative integer is either again an integer or an irrational number, in contrast an "integer matrix" can have a square root whose entries are rational, yet not integer. For example, the matrix formula_8 has the non-integer square root formula_9 as well as the integer square root matrix formula_10. The 2×2 identity matrix is another example. A 2×2 matrix with two distinct nonzero eigenvalues has four square roots. More generally, an matrix with "distinct nonzero eigenvalues" has 2