o Explain what a perfect square is and give some examples.
o Describe the process of rationalizing the denominator
|(1) Consider the exponential expression 3^(1/2). This has base 3 and an exponent 1/2. |
|The denominator of the exponent is 2. This is the order. |
| The equivalent radical expression is √3. Here, √ is called the radical sign. 3 is called the radicand. Since √3 means square root of 3, the order is 2. |
| Another example is 10^(1/3). This has base 10 and an exponent 1/3. | …show more content…
This is the order. |
| The equivalent radical expression is 3√10 (The 3 is over the radical sign). 10 is the radicand. Since 3√10 means cube root of 10, the order is 3. |
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|(2) A perfect square is a number whose square root is a whole number. For example, 25 and 64 are prefect squares since √25 = 5 and √64 = 8 are both whole numbers.