Cube root approximation is somewhat of a black art. Some implementations manipulate the exponent bits of the floating-point number; i.e. they arrive at an initial approximation by dividing the exponent by 3. Cubic equations, which are polynomial equations of the third degree (meaning the highest power of the unknown is 3) can always be solved for their three solutions in terms of cube roots and square roots (although simpler expressions only in terms of square roots exist for all three solutions, if at least one of them is a rational number). If two of the solutions are complex numbers, then all three
Nth root real number is a positive real number, negative numbers do not have real square roots. However, for every negative real number there are two imaginary square roots. For example, the square roots of −25 are 5"i" and −5"i", where "i" represents a number whose square is . A cube root of a number "x" is a number "r" whose cube is "x": Every real number "x" has exactly one real cube root, written formula_4. For example, Every real number has two additional complex cube roots. Expressing the degree of an "n"th root in its exponent form, as in formula_37, makes