SOLUTION: How is adding radical expressions similar to adding polynomial expressions?

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Question 126166: How is adding radical expressions similar to adding polynomial expressions?
Answer by jim_thompson5910(35256)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let's say you had the radical expression




Notice how we have the common term . So we can combine like terms

Factor out the common term


Add


Rearrange the terms


---------------------

This is the same as something like




which is the sum of two polynomials (namely and )


Factor out the common term x


Add


Rearrange the terms



Notice how we followed the same steps in both examples. So this shows that adding radicals and polynomials have a lot of similarities.

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