Operations with Radicals

Front

What is a radical in mathematics?

Back

A radical is a symbol used to represent the root of a number, most commonly the square root. For example, √4 represents the square root of 4.

Front

How do you simplify √(a * b)?

Back

√(a * b) = √a * √b, provided that a and b are non-negative.

Front

What is the value of √(16)?

Back

4, because 4 * 4 = 16.

Front

How do you add √a and √b?

Back

You can only add √a and √b if a = b. In that case, √a + √b = (√a + √b) = n√a, where n is the number of identical radicals.

Front

What is the process to rationalize the denominator of 1/√a?

Back

Multiply the numerator and denominator by √a to get (√a)/(a).

Front

What is the square of a radical?

Back

The square of a radical √a is simply a, since (√a)² = a.

Front

How do you subtract √a from √b?

Back

You can only subtract √a from √b if a = b. In that case, √b - √a = (√b - √a) = n√a, where n is the number of identical radicals.

Front

What is the value of √(25) + √(9)?

Back

√(25) + √(9) = 5 + 3 = 8.

Front

What does it mean to simplify a radical expression?

Back

To simplify a radical expression means to express it in its simplest form, removing any perfect square factors from under the radical.

Front

What is the product of √a and √b?

Back

The product of √a and √b is √(a * b).