Cube Roots and Higher

The cube root of $x$, written $\sqrt[3]{x}$, is the number that cubed gives you $x$. So $\sqrt[3]{27} = 3$ because $3^3 = 27$.

You can generalize: the $n$-th root of $x$ is $\sqrt[n]{x}$, which equals $x^{1/n}$. The 4th root of 16 is 2. The 5th root of 32 is 2.

In competitive programming, you'll mostly see square roots and occasionally cube roots. Higher roots appear less often, but when they do, the same principles apply.