Chapter 13
RADICAL EXPRESSIONS AND EQUATIONS
One of the most important characteristics of the polynomials discussed
in Chapters 11 and 12 is the exponential powers to which variables in the
terms are raised. This chapter explores roots, written as both rational ex-
ponential powers and radical expressions. It begins with the simplification
of roots, progresses to operations on (and equations involving) roots, and
culminates with a discussion of complex and imaginary numbers and their
relationship to negative radicands.
You’ve probably heard of square roots, which look like this:
. A
square root answers the question, “What times itself gives you the
number inside the radical sign?” (The radical sign is the symbol that
looks like a check mark.) It’s basically the opposite of squaring something.
Squaring 3 gives you 9: 3
2
= 9, so the square ROOT of 9 is 3:
.
Square roots aren’t the only kind of roots out there, as you see in this
chapter.
After you gure out how to simplify radicals, it’s time to start using
them in expressions and equations, which means you’ll learn how to
add, subtract, multiply, and divide them. Finally, you’ll look at complex
numbers, which answer the question, “What times itself could possibly
equal a negative number?”
S
q
u
a
r
e
r
o
o
t
s
,
c
u
b
e
r
o
o
t
s
,
a
n
d
f
r
a
c
t
i
o
n
a
l
e
x
p
o
n
e
n
t
s
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.