Find the nearest perfect square on either side of the given value.
6
Practice makes perfect
To estimate sqrt(39) to the nearest whole number, let's narrow down our estimate by looking at nearby perfect squares. The two nearest perfect squares are 36 and 49.
We know that sqrt(39) is somewhere between 6 and 7. In order to estimate it to the nearest whole number, we need to find which perfect square is closer. We will do this by finding the difference between 36 and 39, and 39 and 49.
&36-3 ←39+10 →49
Because 36 is closer to 39, we know that sqrt(36) is closer to sqrt(39). Therefore, the nearest whole number is 6.
