Review of Introductory Mathematics
RADICALS
Simplifying Radicals
An expression having radicals is in simplest form when:
The index cannot be reduced.
The radicand is simplified.
No radicals are in the denominator.
There are four rules of radicals that will be useful in simplifying them.
Rule 1:
n
a
n
n
an
a
Rule 2:
n
ab
n
a
n
b
Rule 3:
Rule 4:
, when n is odd.
n
a
n
a
Examples:
102
10
3
26
3
26
27
9
3
9
3
3
3
3
54
3
( 27)(2)
3
27
3
2
3
3
2
When a radical sign exists in the denominator, it is desirable to remove the radical. This is done
by multiplying both the numerator and denominator by the radical and simplifying.
Example:
3
5
3
5
5
5
3
5
5
Rev. 0
Page 75
MA-01
