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Simplifying Radicals Powerpoint Guide

To simplify radicals: 1. Look for perfect square factors and split the radicand accordingly. 2. Rationalize denominators by multiplying the radical term by itself. 3. For addition/subtraction, terms must have the same radicand; combine coefficients and keep radicand the same. 4. For multiplication, multiply coefficients and radicands; simplify if possible. 5. For distribution, apply distributive property and follow multiplication rules before simplifying.

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124 views

Simplifying Radicals Powerpoint Guide

To simplify radicals: 1. Look for perfect square factors and split the radicand accordingly. 2. Rationalize denominators by multiplying the radical term by itself. 3. For addition/subtraction, terms must have the same radicand; combine coefficients and keep radicand the same. 4. For multiplication, multiply coefficients and radicands; simplify if possible. 5. For distribution, apply distributive property and follow multiplication rules before simplifying.

Uploaded by

Princess Ginez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Simplifying Radicals

11.2
What type of problem do you have?

I need to There is a
simplify radical in the
denominator

There is a I need to perform


fraction under operations (Such as
the radical adding, multiplying,
distributing, FOIL-ing
Simplify a Radical
*Remember that in order for a radical to be in simplest form it
cannot have any perfect square factors. This means that
numbers like 4, 9, 16, 25…etc, cannot divide a number under a
radical sign.
1) Look for the biggest perfect square that will divide the number inside.

 
√ 48
2) Split the number into the product of the perfect square and the other
number
  16 3
√ √
3) Take the square root of the one you can. Leave the other number
inside.
4  3
√
Split using division property
1) If there is a fraction inside the radical, the
division property says you can split and give each
piece its own radical sign. Simplify any raidcals
possible.
  24 ¿  √24
√ 7 √7

I still need to
I forget how to
rationalize the
simplify
denominator
Rationalize the Denominator
*Remember that you cannot have a radical in the denominator.
This would be an irrational number and your job is to rationalize
it by getting rid of the radical in the denominator.

To undo something being square-rooted, the inverse operation is to


square it (which means to multiply it by its exact self)

  in this example, to get rid of


So
 2   √2   2 √2
· ¿  ¿ in the denominator, multiply it by
√2 √ 2 2 √2 itself (). Don’t forget that
whatever you to do to the
bottom, you do to the top!

Since the two green 2’s


are both outside the
radical, they can be
simplified. I still need
to simplify
a radical
Operations with Radicals

I am adding/
subtracting
I am multiplying/
distributing

I am
FOIL-ing
Adding or Subtracting Radicals
*Remember that in order to add or subtract
radicals they must first be like terms. In order for
this to occur, the number under the radical must
be the same!
Like terms: Not like terms:

2  √𝟓+3 √𝟓 4  √𝟑 −3 √𝟐
*To add or subtract like radical terms, add or subtract the
coefficients, keep the radical the same:
2  √𝟓+3 √𝟓 ¿  5 √5
Multiplying/Distributing Radicals
*When multiplying radicals, if there are two numbers outside the radical
sign, you can multiply and any numbers inside the radical sign can be
multiplied. Once complete, check to see if you can simplify.

I still need to
4  √5 ·2 √12   =
simplify.

*When distributing a radical, apply the distributive property


and then follow the multiplication rules shown above. Once
complete, check for like terms or radicals that can be
simplified.
2  √𝟓 ( 3 √ 2+4 √ 10 ) ¿  6 √ 10+8 √ 50
FOIL-ing Radicals
*FOIL is just distributing twice! It means:
F – First (which terms come first in each parenthesis)
O – Outer (which terms are on the outer edges)
I – Inner (which terms are inner-most)
L – Last (which terms come last in each parenthesis)

  √ 3+2 √ 𝟓) ( 3 √ 2+4 √ 10 )
(5
  √ 6+20
15     √ 50
  √ 10+8
√ 30+6
Check to see if you can
simplify any terms

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