In mathematics, a square number or perfect square is an integer that is the square of an integer; in other words, it is the product of some integer with itself. For example, 9 is a square number, since it can be written as 3 × 3.
The usual notation for the square of a number n is not the product n × n, but the equivalent exponentiation n^2, usually pronounced as "nsquared". The name square number comes from the name of the shape. The unit of areais defined as the area of a unit square (1 × 1). Hence, a square with side length n has area n^2.