A perfect square is a number that can be expressed as the product of two equal integers.
The only way to accurately calculate if a number is a perfect square is to find the factors. Before we go through the trouble of finding the factors, there is a quick trick you can use to help determine if you need even need to do the extra work.
Try these steps first:
Let's try it...
Step 1:
What is the last number of 16,204,142? It is this number: 16204142. The answer is 2. Is 2 in the list of numbers that are never perfect squares (2, 3, 7 or 8)?
Answer: YES, 2 is in the list of numbers that are never perfect squares. The number 16,204,142 is NOT a perfect square and we can stop here as there is not need to complete the rest of the steps.
Number | 16,204,140 | 16,204,141 | 16,204,143 | 16,204,144 |
Perfect Square? | no | no | no | no |