The L\^e numbers of the square of a function and their applications

L\^e numbers were introduced by Massey with the purpose of numerically controlling the topological properties of families of non-isolated hypersurface singularities and describing the topology associated with a function with non-isolated singularities. They are a generalization of the Milnor number for isolated hypersurface singularities. In this note the authors investigate the composite of an arbitrary square-free f and $z^2$. They get a formula for the L\^e numbers of the composite, and consider two applications of these numbers. The first application is concerned with the extent to which the L\^e numbers are invariant in a family of functions which satisfy some equisingularity condition, the second is a quick proof of a new formula for the Euler obstruction of a hypersurface singularity. Several examples are computed using this formula including any X defined by a function which only has transverse D(q,p) singularities off the origin.