How to Square a Number in Excel
Squaring numbers are helpful in all different kinds of calculations, but it can be a tedious task if you have a lot of data. However, Excel’s tools and functions make it pretty simple! There are four easy ways to square a number in Excel: two that utilize functions and two that don’t.
Here’s how to quickly get the job done, whether you’re working with a single number or a range of cells.
How to square a number in Excel without using functions
As you likely remember from math class, squaring a number means raising it to the power of two or multiplying it by itself.
There are two formula operators that you can use to square a number:
- Using the multiplication operator (*) to multiply the number by itself
- Using the caret operator (^) to raise the number to the second power
In both cases, you can use numeric values (=5*5) or cell references (=B3*5, =B3*B3) in your formula.
Using the multiplication operator
Let’s say you have a table with numbers on the left, and you need to fill the right column with the squared numbers. Here’s how to do it quickly!
1. In cell C3, enter the following formula:
=(B3*B3)
2. Hit enter, and you’ll see the cell populate with the number 25
To fill in the rest of your chart, click the Excel fill handle located in the bottom right corner of cell C3 and drag it through the rest of the cells.
Using the exponent operator
The exponent operator, or the caret symbol (^) in Excel, lets you raise one number to the power of another. Enter this formula in cell C3 to square (raise to the 2nd power) the value in B3:
=(B3^2)
If you’d like to fill in the whole table, use the Excel fill handle to fill the formula down.
Using functions to square a number in Excel
The POWER and PRODUCT functions also make it easy to square a number in Excel!
POWER
The POWER function uses exponents, and you can use it to raise a number to any power.
Formulas that use the POWER function use two arguments: the number that you want to square and the exponent to which you want to raise it.
For example, the following formula will raise 5 to the 2nd power:
=POWER(5,2)
You can also use a cell reference for a function argument, as shown below.
PRODUCT
The PRODUCT function simply multiplies one number by another.
Formulas that contain the PRODUCT function multiply the numbers given as arguments, so to square the number 5, you would use the following formula:
=PRODUCT(5,5)
You can also use cell references as the function arguments, as shown below.
=PRODUCT(B3,B3)
And those are a few different methods for squaring numbers in Excel (and they work in Google Sheets as well). Hopefully this was helpful 🙂
Do you have any other tips for squaring numbers in Excel? Let us know in the comments!
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Not the most efficient way to calculate a square, but it does show how you can use a dynamic array function’s output as the arguments of another function.
Assuming the number you want squared is in cell B3:
=SUM(SEQUENCE(B3,,B3,0))
Cool idea … thanks Jeff!
I thought I would not learn anything from this post, but I was wrong! The power function is an interesting alternative to the methods I already knew.
a couple more subtly different SUM/SEQUENCE options:
=SUM(SEQUENCE(B3,B3,,0)
=SUM(SEQUENCE(B3,,,2))
or
create a defined name for SQ to be =EVALUATE(“=”&REPT(“+”&$B$3,$B$3))
enter =SQ in C3
Thanks for this great article on “How to Square a Number in Excel”. I have gained new know-how and wish continued success!