What is a radicand?

A radicand is the number or expression that appears inside the radical symbol in a mathematical equation. The radical symbol is represented by a square root (√) or another root symbol, and the radicand is the number or expression that is being rooted. For example, in the expression √16, the radicand is 16. Radicands can be whole numbers, decimals, fractions, variables, or more complex expressions. The square root of a positive number has two possible values, one positive and one negative, while the square root of a negative number is imaginary.