A square multiplies a number by itself: $5^2 = 25$. Its opposite is the square root: $\sqrt{49} = 7$.
A cube multiplies a number by itself three times: $2^3 = 8$. Its opposite is the cube root: $\sqrt[3]{27} = 3$.
Remember
- Squaring and square-rooting are opposite operations.
- $4^2 = 16$, so $\sqrt{16} = 4$; $3^3 = 27$, so $\sqrt[3]{27} = 3$.