## Square root of 5^2 plus 1: can't solve r=sqrt(5^2+1)

Quadratic equations and inequalities, variation equations, function notation, systems of equations, etc.

### Square root of 5^2 plus 1: can't solve r=sqrt(5^2+1)

Okay, this question has me very confused.

I have a question that ends up saying

r=sqrt(5^2+1)

And oddly enough, I can't figure out how to solve it. The answer to the question should be 5.09ish. But the only solutions I can think up only end with a bigger or smaller number. Pulling out the 5 gets me

r=5sqrt(1)

Which would equal 5, which isn't right. Bringing out the 1 with the 5 doesn't accomplish very much either.

Could someone help me figure out how to do this?
Aqua Dragon

Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:44 pm

### Re: Square root of 5^2 plus 1

Aqua Dragon wrote:Okay, this question has me very confused.

I have a question that ends up saying

r=sqrt(5^2+1)

And oddly enough, I can't figure out how to solve it. The answer to the question should be 5.09ish. But the only solutions I can think up only end with a bigger or smaller number. Pulling out the 5 gets me

r=5sqrt(1)

Which would equal 5, which isn't right. Bringing out the 1 with the 5 doesn't accomplish very much either.

Could someone help me figure out how to do this?

$r=\sqrt{5^2+1}=\sqrt{25+1}=\sqrt{26}=\cdots$

Martingale

Posts: 350
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 1:30 pm
Location: USA

Aqua Dragon wrote:r=sqrt(5^2+1)

And oddly enough, I can't figure out how to solve it.

To learn how to work with radicals, try here.

It should be noted that the "5.09-ish" to which you make reference is a decimal approximation. The "exact" form, $\sqrt{26}$, cannot be "simplified" any further.

stapel_eliz

Posts: 1715
Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:22 pm