Perhaps the first algorithm used for approximating Sāāā is known as the "Babylonian method", named after the Babylonians,[1] or "Hero's method", named after the first-century Greek mathematician Hero of Alexandria who gave the first explicit description of the method.
If a nmber x is close to the square root of a then y = (x + a/x)/2 will be a beter approximation.
Exercise:
Write a program to calculate the square root of a number by using the Babylonian method..