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Algebra and Trigonometry

1.3 Radicals and Rational Exponents

Algebra and Trigonometry1.3 Radicals and Rational Exponents
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Learning Objectives

In this section, you will:

  • Evaluate square roots.
  • Use the product rule to simplify square roots.
  • Use the quotient rule to simplify square roots.
  • Add and subtract square roots.
  • Rationalize denominators.
  • Use rational roots.

A hardware store sells 16-ft ladders and 24-ft ladders. A window is located 12 feet above the ground. A ladder needs to be purchased that will reach the window from a point on the ground 5 feet from the building. To find out the length of ladder needed, we can draw a right triangle as shown in Figure 1, and use the Pythagorean Theorem.

A right triangle with a base of 5 feet, a height of 12 feet, and a hypotenuse labeled c
Figure 1
a2+b2=c252+122=c2169=c2

Now, we need to find out the length that, when squared, is 169, to determine which ladder to choose. In other words, we need to find a square root. In this section, we will investigate methods of finding solutions to problems such as this one.

Evaluating Square Roots

When the square root of a number is squared, the result is the original number. Since 42=16, the square root of 16 is 4. The square root function is the inverse of the squaring function just as subtraction is the inverse of addition. To undo squaring, we take the square root.

In general terms, if a is a positive real number, then the square root of a is a number that, when multiplied by itself, gives a. The square root could be positive or negative because multiplying two negative numbers gives a positive number. The principal square root is the nonnegative number that when multiplied by itself equals a. The square root obtained using a calculator is the principal square root.

The principal square root of a is written as a. The symbol is called a radical, the term under the symbol is called the radicand, and the entire expression is called a radical expression.

The expression: square root of twenty-five is enclosed in a circle. The circle has an arrow pointing to it labeled: Radical expression. The square root symbol has an arrow pointing to it labeled: Radical. The number twenty-five has an arrow pointing to it labeled: Radicand.

Principal Square Root

The principal square root of a is the nonnegative number that, when multiplied by itself, equals a. It is written as a radical expression, with a symbol called a radical over the term called the radicand: a.

Q&A

Does 25=±5?

No. Although both 52 and (−5)2 are 25, the radical symbol implies only a nonnegative root, the principal square root. The principal square root of 25 is 25=5.

Example 1

Evaluating Square Roots

Evaluate each expression.

  1. 100
  2. 16
  3. 25+144
  4. 4981

Q&A

For 25+144, can we find the square roots before adding?

No. 25+144=5+12=17. This is not equivalent to 25+144=13. The order of operations requires us to add the terms in the radicand before finding the square root.

Try It #1

Evaluate each expression.

  1. 225
  2. 81
  3. 259
  4. 36+121

Using the Product Rule to Simplify Square Roots

To simplify a square root, we rewrite it such that there are no perfect squares in the radicand. There are several properties of square roots that allow us to simplify complicated radical expressions. The first rule we will look at is the product rule for simplifying square roots, which allows us to separate the square root of a product of two numbers into the product of two separate rational expressions. For instance, we can rewrite 15 as 35. We can also use the product rule to express the product of multiple radical expressions as a single radical expression.

The Product Rule for Simplifying Square Roots

If a and b are nonnegative, the square root of the product ab is equal to the product of the square roots of a and b.

ab=ab

How To

Given a square root radical expression, use the product rule to simplify it.

  1. Factor any perfect squares from the radicand.
  2. Write the radical expression as a product of radical expressions.
  3. Simplify.

Example 2

Using the Product Rule to Simplify Square Roots

Simplify the radical expression.

  1. 300
  2. 162a5b4

Try It #2

Simplify 50x2y3z.

How To

Given the product of multiple radical expressions, use the product rule to combine them into one radical expression.

  1. Express the product of multiple radical expressions as a single radical expression.
  2. Simplify.

Example 3

Using the Product Rule to Simplify the Product of Multiple Square Roots

Simplify the radical expression.
123

Try It #3

Simplify 50x2x assuming x>0.

Using the Quotient Rule to Simplify Square Roots

Just as we can rewrite the square root of a product as a product of square roots, so too can we rewrite the square root of a quotient as a quotient of square roots, using the quotient rule for simplifying square roots. It can be helpful to separate the numerator and denominator of a fraction under a radical so that we can take their square roots separately. We can rewrite 52 as 52.

The Quotient Rule for Simplifying Square Roots

The square root of the quotient ab is equal to the quotient of the square roots of a and b, where b0.

ab=ab

How To

Given a radical expression, use the quotient rule to simplify it.

  1. Write the radical expression as the quotient of two radical expressions.
  2. Simplify the numerator and denominator.

Example 4

Using the Quotient Rule to Simplify Square Roots

Simplify the radical expression.

536

Try It #4

Simplify 2x29y4.

Example 5

Using the Quotient Rule to Simplify an Expression with Two Square Roots

Simplify the radical expression.

234x11y26x7y

Try It #5

Simplify 9a5b143a4b5.

Adding and Subtracting Square Roots

We can add or subtract radical expressions only when they have the same radicand and when they have the same radical type such as square roots. For example, the sum of 2 and 32 is 42. However, it is often possible to simplify radical expressions, and that may change the radicand. The radical expression 18 can be written with a 2 in the radicand, as 32, so 2+18=2+32=42.

How To

Given a radical expression requiring addition or subtraction of square roots, simplify.

  1. Simplify each radical expression.
  2. Add or subtract expressions with equal radicands.

Example 6

Adding Square Roots

Add 512+23.

Try It #6

Add 5+620.

Example 7

Subtracting Square Roots

Subtract 2072a3b4c148a3b4c.

Try It #7

Subtract 380x445x.

Rationalizing Denominators

When an expression involving square root radicals is written in simplest form, it will not contain a radical in the denominator. We can remove radicals from the denominators of fractions using a process called rationalizing the denominator.

We know that multiplying by 1 does not change the value of an expression. We use this property of multiplication to change expressions that contain radicals in the denominator. To remove radicals from the denominators of fractions, multiply by the form of 1 that will eliminate the radical.

For a denominator containing a single term, multiply by the radical in the denominator over itself. In other words, if the denominator is bc, multiply by cc.

For a denominator containing the sum or difference of a rational and an irrational term, multiply the numerator and denominator by the conjugate of the denominator, which is found by changing the sign of the radical portion of the denominator. If the denominator is a+bc, then the conjugate is abc.

How To

Given an expression with a single square root radical term in the denominator, rationalize the denominator.

  1. Multiply the numerator and denominator by the radical in the denominator.
  2. Simplify.

Example 8

Rationalizing a Denominator Containing a Single Term

Write 23310 in simplest form.

Try It #8

Write 1232 in simplest form.

How To

Given an expression with a radical term and a constant in the denominator, rationalize the denominator.

  1. Find the conjugate of the denominator.
  2. Multiply the numerator and denominator by the conjugate.
  3. Use the distributive property.
  4. Simplify.

Example 9

Rationalizing a Denominator Containing Two Terms

Write 41+5 in simplest form.

Try It #9

Write 72+3 in simplest form.

Using Rational Roots

Although square roots are the most common rational roots, we can also find cube roots, 4th roots, 5th roots, and more. Just as the square root function is the inverse of the squaring function, these roots are the inverse of their respective power functions. These functions can be useful when we need to determine the number that, when raised to a certain power, gives a certain number.

Understanding nth Roots

Suppose we know that a3=8. We want to find what number raised to the 3rd power is equal to 8. Since 23=8, we say that 2 is the cube root of 8.

The nth root of a is a number that, when raised to the nth power, gives a. For example, −3 is the 5th root of −243 because (−3)5=−243. If a is a real number with at least one nth root, then the principal nth root of a is the number with the same sign as a that, when raised to the nth power, equals a.

The principal nth root of a is written as na, where n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. In the radical expression, n is called the index of the radical.

Principal n th Root

If a is a real number with at least one nth root, then the principal nth root of a, written as na, is the number with the same sign as a that, when raised to the nth power, equals a. The index of the radical is n.

Example 10

Simplifying nth Roots

Simplify each of the following:

  1. 5−32
  2. 4441,024
  3. 38x6125
  4. 843448

Try It #10

Simplify.

  1. 3−216
  2. 348045
  3. 639,000+73576

Using Rational Exponents

Radical expressions can also be written without using the radical symbol. We can use rational (fractional) exponents. The index must be a positive integer. If the index n is even, then a cannot be negative.

a1n=na

We can also have rational exponents with numerators other than 1. In these cases, the exponent must be a fraction in lowest terms. We raise the base to a power and take an nth root. The numerator tells us the power and the denominator tells us the root.

amn=(na)m=nam

All of the properties of exponents that we learned for integer exponents also hold for rational exponents.

Rational Exponents

Rational exponents are another way to express principal nth roots. The general form for converting between a radical expression with a radical symbol and one with a rational exponent is

amn=(na)m=nam

How To

Given an expression with a rational exponent, write the expression as a radical.

  1. Determine the power by looking at the numerator of the exponent.
  2. Determine the root by looking at the denominator of the exponent.
  3. Using the base as the radicand, raise the radicand to the power and use the root as the index.

Example 11

Writing Rational Exponents as Radicals

Write 34323 as a radical. Simplify.

Try It #11

Write 952 as a radical. Simplify.

Example 12

Writing Radicals as Rational Exponents

Write 47a2 using a rational exponent.

Try It #12

Write x(5y)9 using a rational exponent.

Example 13

Simplifying Rational Exponents

Simplify:

  1. 5(2x34)(3x15)
  2. (169)12

Try It #13

Simplify (8x)13(14x65).

Media

Access these online resources for additional instruction and practice with radicals and rational exponents.

1.3 Section Exercises

Verbal

1.

What does it mean when a radical does not have an index? Is the expression equal to the radicand? Explain.

2.

Where would radicals come in the order of operations? Explain why.

3.

Every number will have two square roots. What is the principal square root?

4.

Can a radical with a negative radicand have a real square root? Why or why not?

Numeric

For the following exercises, simplify each expression.

5.

256

6.

256

7.

4(9+16)

8.

289121

9.

196

10.

1

11.

98

12.

2764

13.

815

14.

800

15.

169+144

16.

850

17.

18162

18.

192

19.

146624

20.

155+745

21.

150

22.

96100

23.

(42)(30)

24.

123475

25.

4225

26.

405324

27.

360361

28.

51+3

29.

8117

30.

416

31.

3128+332

32.

5−32243

33.

15412545

34.

33−432+316

Algebraic

For the following exercises, simplify each expression.

35.

400x4

36.

4y2

37.

49p

38.

(144p2q6)12

39.

m52289

40.

93m2+27

41.

3ab2ba

42.

42n16n4

43.

225x349x

44.

344z+99z

45.

50y8

46.

490bc2

47.

3214d

48.

q3263p

49.

813x

50.

20121d4

51.

w3232w3250

52.

108x4+27x4

53.

12x2+23

54.

147k3

55.

125n10

56.

42q36q3

57.

81m361m2

58.

72c22c

59.

144324d2

60.

324x6+381x6

61.

4162x616x4

62.

364y

63.

3128z33−16z3

64.

51,024c10

Real-World Applications

65.

A guy wire for a suspension bridge runs from the ground diagonally to the top of the closest pylon to make a triangle. We can use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the length of guy wire needed. The square of the distance between the wire on the ground and the pylon on the ground is 90,000 feet. The square of the height of the pylon is 160,000 feet. So the length of the guy wire can be found by evaluating 90,000+160,000. What is the length of the guy wire?

66.

A car accelerates at a rate of 64tm/s2 where t is the time in seconds after the car moves from rest. Simplify the expression.

Extensions

For the following exercises, simplify each expression.

67.

81642212

68.

4321632813

69.

mn3a2c−3a−7n−2m2c4

70.

aac

71.

x64y+4y128y

72.

(250x2100b3)(7b125x)

73.

364+425664+256

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