How to Square a Number in Python?

Hey all,

I’m writing a Python script for image resizing, and I need to calculate square values for some dimension math. Basically, I want to square a number in Python, like getting 5² = 25, but I’m not sure what the cleanest or best practice is.

Can someone show me the right way to do it? Thanks!

Great question! Whether you’re working with basic math, data science, or image dimensions (like squaring the width or height of an image), knowing how to square a number in Python is essential.

There are actually several ways to square a number in Python, and each has its own use case. Let’s walk through all of them!

The most Pythonic way to square a number is by using the exponent operator **.

x = 5

square = x ** 2

print(square) # Outputs 25Code language: PHP (php)

This is short, clean, and widely used in both beginner and professional codebases.

If you’re just squaring a number, you can also multiply it by itself.

x = 5

square = x * x

print(square)Code language: PHP (php)

This is often slightly faster than the ** operator because it’s more direct, but the performance difference is negligible for most use cases.

If you want to square floats or are working in a math-heavy script, you might use the math module.

import math

x = 5

square = math.pow(x, 2)

print(square) # Prints 25.0Code language: PHP (php)

Let’s say you want to calculate the area of a square image:

width = 1080

area = width ** 2

print(f"Image area (px): {area}")

# Output: Image area (px): 1166400Code language: PHP (php)

This can be helpful when doing image validation, resizing, or calculating memory usage (since pixel count = width × height).

If you’re working with pixel values and want to square each for brightness adjustment:

pixels = [10, 20, 30]

squared_pixels = [p ** 2 for p in pixels]

print(squared_pixels) # Outputs [100, 400, 900]Code language: PHP (php)

This could be part of an algorithm to enhance contrast or detect edges.

Need to check if a number is a perfect square?

import math

def is_perfect_square(n):

    return int(math.sqrt(n)) ** 2 == n

print(is_perfect_square(25))  # True

print(is_perfect_square(26))  # FalseCode language: PHP (php)

This can be useful if you want to ensure your image dimensions are evenly square (e.g., 1080×1080, 512×512).

Method	Syntax	Returns	Notes
Exponentiation	x ** 2	int/float	Fast and pythonic
Multiplication	x * x	int/float	Very readable
math.pow()	math.pow(x, 2)	float	Useful for more complex math ops

If you have a list of numbers (e.g., pixel intensities or dimensions), and you want to square all of them:

values = [2, 3, 4]

squared = list(map(lambda x: x**2, values))

print(squared)Code language: PHP (php)

Or using list comprehension:

squared = [x**2 for x in values] # Outputs [4, 9, 16]

If you’re generating a URL with transformation for a square crop:

width = 500

url = f"https://res.cloudinary.com/demo/image/upload/c_crop,w_{width},h_{width}/sample.jpg"

print(url)Code language: PHP (php)

The square size helps when formatting profile pictures, thumbnails, or avatars.

• Using math.pow() expecting an integer. Remember it returns a float!
• Forgetting parentheses. x ** 2 is not the same as x ** (2 + 1)
• Trying to square a string or non-numeric type. Convert it to an integer with int().

Task	Recommended Approach
Square a number	x ** 2 or x * x
Square float	math.pow(x, 2)
List of squared values	[x**2 for x in list]
Validate perfect square	Use math.sqrt()
Make reusable function	def square(x): return x**2

Squaring numbers in Python is simple, but the way you do it can depend on your context, whether it’s performance, precision, or readability.

If you’re working with image dimensions, pixel transformations, or generating Cloudinary tags, squaring values is something you’ll do a lot. Choose the method that best fits your need, and always keep readability in mind.