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Simplifying Radical Expressions


Why does the character from the comic yell “the square root of sixteen” when hitting the golf ball?

 

The expression  is a radical expression. Since the radicand, 16, is a perfect square, . In Lesson 8–5, you learned to simplify radical expressions using the Product Property of Square Roots and prime factorization. You can simplify radical expressions in which the radicand is not a perfect square in a similar manner. Recall that the radicand is the number or expression under the square root symbol.

 

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Example

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2.   On a softball field, the distance from second base to home plate is . Express  in simplest radical form.

 

Alternative Solution

 

The distance is .

 

The Product Property can also be used to multiply square roots.

 

Example

 

 


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To divide square roots and simplify radical expressions that involve division, use the Quotient Property of Square Roots. A fraction containing radicals is in simplest form if no radicals are left in the denominator.

 

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To eliminate radicals from the denominator of a fraction, you can use a method for simplifying radical expressions called rationalizing the denominator.

 

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Binomials of the form  and  are conjugates of each other because their product is a rational number.

Conjugates are useful for simplifying radical expressions because their product is always a rational number.

 

Example

 

 



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To rationalize the denominator, multiply both the numerator and denominator by , which is the conjugate of .

Radical expressions are in simplest form if the following conditions are met.

Consider the expression . It appears that . However, if x = – 3, then is 3, not 3. For radical expressions like , use absolute value to ensure nonnegative results. The results of simplifying a few radical expressions are listed below.

For , absolute value is not necessary. If x were negative, then x3 would be negative, and  is not a real number. Why is absolute value not used for ?

 

Example

 

 


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Labels: Mathematician

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