The polynomial formula proposed by Chen [Med. Phys. 15, 348 (1988)] in calculating the electron beam output from a Therac 20 linear accelerator has been applied to generating the output factor of various machines with photon energies ranging from 100 kVp to 18 MeV. The calculated outputs are within 1% of the measured values. This formula can be very useful to the physicist in preparing an output table of photon beams or electron beams for a therapeutic unit. An equation is derived from this formula to calculate the equivalent square. The derivation shows that only under special circumstances is the equivalent square field equivalent to 2ab/(a + b); otherwise the equivalent square field depends on the formula's parameters as well as the sides of the rectangular field. These parameters, in turn, are dependent on the photon energy, the medium irradiated, and the collimator design.