## Could use some help with simplifying radicals!

Simplificatation, evaluation, linear equations, linear graphs, linear inequalities, basic word problems, etc.

### Could use some help with simplifying radicals!

So my teacher yesterday taught us this (type of stuff) , 2(radical sign) x^1 = 1 / x^2 . Now she doesnt tell us what this is because to be honest she dosent explain well... Anyhow so today she had us write our perfect squares on a sheet from 1 (1) to 20 (400) and for an example of what she taught us (again not telling us what this is) (radical sign)18 and she had us find the roots? ( 1x18 & 2x9 & 3x6) 1 and 9 are perfect squares the largest was 9 so we did (radical sign)2x9 and the square root fo 9 is 3 so we did 3(radical sign) 2 as our answer and to check we did 3^2x2=18 but now on my homework i have a question that says simplify 4 (radical sign) 18 .... I'm lost, what was I not taught / not understanding? Please and thank you!
DmAnTuCaN

Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2013 7:42 pm

### Re: Could use some help with simplifying radicals!

DmAnTuCaN wrote:So my teacher yesterday taught us this (type of stuff) , 2(radical sign) x^1 = 1 / x^2 . Now she doesnt tell us what this is because to be honest she dosent explain well... Anyhow so today she had us write our perfect squares on a sheet from 1 (1) to 20 (400) and for an example of what she taught us (again not telling us what this is) (radical sign)18 and she had us find the roots? ( 1x18 & 2x9 & 3x6) 1 and 9 are perfect squares the largest was 9 so we did (radical sign)2x9 and the square root fo 9 is 3 so we did 3(radical sign) 2 as our answer and to check we did 3^2x2=18 but now on my homework i have a question that says simplify 4 (radical sign) 18 .... I'm lost, what was I not taught / not understanding? Please and thank you!

Some of what you try to say is wrong, and all of what you try to say needs much notational improvement.

Your first equation, $sqrt(x^1)=1/x^2$ is wrong.

$sqrt(18)=sqrt(2*3*3)=3*sqrt(2)$ because $3*3=9$ and $sqrt(9)=3$
jg.allinsymbols

Posts: 71
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 2:42 am

### Re: Could use some help with simplifying radicals!

DmAnTuCaN

Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2013 7:42 pm

### Re: Could use some help with simplifying radicals!

Some of your pencil-written work on #1 is followable. The steps connected with the arrow make sense.

The #13 is much like what I showed in my previous post, except for having the factor of 4 with square root of 18. Incorporate what I showed and you should be able to do the correct simplification.

Does the circling on #19 mean that you wanted help on that item? Start by factoring the 72, completely just to be clear:
$11*sqrt(72)=11*sqrt(6*6*2)$ , well that I did not completely factor, but I could have...
$11*sqrt(6^2*2)$
$11*6*sqrt(2)$
$66*sqrt(2)$
jg.allinsymbols

Posts: 71
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 2:42 am