SQRT Function (OpenOffice Calc)
The SQRT function in OpenOffice Calc returns the square root of a number. Learn syntax, examples, error conditions, and best practices.
Compatibility
▾| Excel | ✔ |
| Gnumeric | ✔ |
| Google_sheets | ✔ |
| Libreoffice | ✔ |
| Numbers | ✔ |
| Onlyoffice | ✔ |
| Openoffice | ✔ |
| Wps | ✔ |
| Zoho | ✔ |
What the SQRT Function Does ▾
- Returns the positive square root of a number
- Works with integers and decimals
- Useful for geometry, physics, statistics, and financial modeling
- Equivalent to
POWER(number; 0.5) - Works across sheets
SQRT is ideal when you need clean, readable root calculations.
Syntax ▾
SQRT(number)
Arguments:
- number — Any non‑negative numeric value or reference
SQRT cannot handle negative numbers.
Use
Use
=IMAGINARY(SQRT(-1)) only in complex‑number contexts (Calc supports complex math via add‑ins).
Basic Examples ▾
Square root of a positive number
=SQRT(25)
Result: 5
Square root of a decimal
=SQRT(2.25)
Result: 1.5
Square root using a cell reference
=SQRT(A1)
Square root of a formula result
=SQRT(A1 - B1)
Advanced Examples ▾
Equivalent POWER expression
=POWER(A1; 0.5)
Square root across sheets
=SQRT(Sheet1.A1)
Square root of a product
=SQRT(A1 * B1)
Square root of a sum of squares (distance formula)
=SQRT(POWER(X2 - X1; 2) + POWER(Y2 - Y1; 2))
Root‑mean‑square (RMS)
=SQRT(AVERAGE(A1:A10 * A1:A10))
Confirm with Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
Standard deviation (manual form)
=SQRT(VAR(A1:A10))
Hypotenuse calculation
=SQRT(POWER(A1; 2) + POWER(B1; 2))
Common Errors and Fixes ▾
SQRT returns Err:502 (Invalid argument)
Occurs when:
- Input is negative
- Input is text
- Input is empty
- A malformed reference is used
SQRT returns Err:503 (Numeric overflow)
Occurs when:
- Input is extremely large
- Result exceeds Calc’s numeric limits
SQRT returns Err:508 (Missing parenthesis)
Usually caused by:
- Missing
) - Using commas instead of semicolons
SQRT returns unexpected results
Possible causes:
- Text numbers not converted to numeric
- Hidden spaces in cells
- Negative results from formulas
Best Practices ▾
- Use SQRT for readability instead of
POWER(x; 0.5) - Validate that inputs cannot be negative
- Use ABS if needed to sanitize inputs (with caution)
- Convert imported text numbers to real numbers
- Use named ranges for cleaner formulas
For geometric or statistical formulas, SQRT often pairs with POWER, AVERAGE, and VAR to build clean, readable expressions.