Math Functions

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Math Functions

Math Functions

Bash itself has no built-in functions like square root or power beyond ** for integer exponentiation in $(( )). For anything more advanced, scripts shell out to bc -l (which supports sqrt(), s() for sine, etc.) or awk. Knowing when to delegate to an external tool is part of writing effective Bash.

Note: $(( 2 ** 10 )) computes integer powers directly without needing bc.

Example: Math Functions

bash

#!/bin/bash
echo "2^10 = $((2 ** 10))"

sqrt_result=$(echo "sqrt(16)" | bc -l)
echo "sqrt(16) = $sqrt_result"

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expr
for Loop Over a List
Arithmetic Expansion $(( ))
C-Style for Loop
let
while Loop
bc for Floating-Point Math
until Loop
Comparison Operators
break and continue
Increment and Decrement
Looping Over Array Elements
Math Functions
Looping Over Command Output

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Math Functions

Math Functions

Chapter Quiz — Complete all 14 topics to unlock

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