Question

By what number should each of the following numbers be multiplied to get a perfect square ? Also, find the number whose square is the new number. 

7776 

Answer 1

7776 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 

Grouping them into pairs of equal factors:
7776 = (2 x 2) x (2 x 2) x (3 x 3) x (3 x 3) x 2 x 3
The factors, 2 and 3 at the end are not paired. For a number to be a perfect square, each prime factor has to be paired. Hence, 7776 must be multiplied by 6 (2 x 3) for it to be a perfect square.
The new number would be (2 x 2) x (2 x 2) x (2 x 2) x (3 x 3) x (3 x 3) x (3 x 3).
Furthermore, we have:
(2 x 2) x (2 x 2) x (2 x 2) x (3 x 3) x (3 x 3) x (3 x 3) = (2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 3) x (2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 3)
Hence, the number whose square is the new number is:
2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 216