A worked example
The cube root of 27 is exactly 3 — since 3³ = 27.
Frequently asked questions
Why can a cube root handle negative numbers but a square root can't?
An odd number of negative factors multiplied together stays negative, so a negative number can have a real odd root (like cube root). An even root would require an imaginary number to get back to a negative result, since any real number squared is positive.
What's the relationship between roots and exponents?
Taking the nth root of a number is the same as raising it to the power of 1/n — the Exponent Calculator can do the exact same calculation, just framed as a fractional power instead.