Last updated on May 26th, 2025
The cube root of a number is a number multiplied by itself thrice equals the original number. We apply cube roots in geometry for calculating volumes, to scale objects in physics and in engineering to measure density and many others. Let's learn more about the cube root of 1.
β1 — is the symbolic representation of ‘cube root of 1’.
β1=1
β1 has three roots→ 1,π, π2, which on multiplication together gives “1” as a product. 1×π×π2=1.
As mentioned above, the cube root of 1 or the cube root of unity are 1,π, π2, where 1 is a real root, π and π2 are the imaginary roots.
The essential features or properties of the cube root of 1 are:
The imaginary roots π and π2 when multiplied together, yields 1
π×π2= π3=1
The summation of the roots is zero → 1+π+π2=0.
The imaginary root π, when squared, is expressed as π2, which is equal to another imaginary root.
Now, let us find the meaning of π here. To find the cube root of 1, we will make use of some algebraic formulas. We know that, the cube root of 1 is represented as β1. Let us assume that β1= a, so,
β1= a
⇒ 1 = a3
⇒ a3- 1 = 0
⇒ (a - 1)(a2+a+1) = 0 [using a3-b3= (a - b)(a2+a.b+b2)]
⇒ a - 1 =0
⇒ a= 1 …………..(1)
Again, a2+a+1 = 0
⇒ a = (-1 ±√(12–4×1×1)) / 2×1
⇒ a = (-1 ±√(–3)) / 2
⇒ a = (-1 ± i√3) / 2
⇒ a = (-1 + i√3) / 2 …………(2)
Or
a = (-1 - i√3) / 2 …………(3)
From equation (1), (2), and (3), we get,
The roots are → 1, (-1 + i√3) / 2 and (-1 - i√3) / 2
Though the cube root of 1 is pretty straight forward, some common mistakes can still be made. Given below are a few you need to be mindful of when trying to find the cube root of 1.
Solve β β8Γ1
To solve β8×1 we first multiply 8×1;
8×1 = 8
The cube root of 8 is 2.
The volume of a cube is 1 cubic unit. Find the length of the side.
s3 = 1
s = β1 = 1 unit
The side is 1 unit.
Find z where zΒ³-1 = 0
z = 1,β΅, β΅2 , the cube roots of 1
The possible values of z are only 1, β΅, β΅2.
Jaskaran Singh Saluja is a math wizard with nearly three years of experience as a math teacher. His expertise is in algebra, so he can make algebra classes interesting by turning tricky equations into simple puzzles.
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