Attempts to find an average value of AC would directly provide you the answer zero... Hence, RMS values are used. They help to find the effective value of AC (voltage or current). This RMS is a mathematical quantity (used in many math fields) used to compare both alternating and direct currents (or voltage).

Why use root mean square instead of average?

RMS gives you the equivalent DC voltage for the same power. If you would measure the resistor's temperature as a measure of dissipated energy you'll see that it's the same as for a DC voltage of 0.71 V, not 0.64 V. Measuring average voltage is cheaper than measuring RMS voltage however, and that's what cheaper DMMs do.

What does the root mean square tell you?

Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is the standard deviation of the residuals (prediction errors). Residuals are a measure of how far from the regression line data points are; RMSE is a measure of how spread out these residuals are. In other words, it tells you how concentrated the data is around the line of best fit.