Question 1039767: What steps do you use to simplify radicals? Give an example step by step.
Answer by Boreal(15235)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Simplifying a radical involves finding a factor that is a perfect square and making the radical two radicals, one of which is a perfect square.
Sqrt(75)=sqrt(25)*sqrt(3)
That is 5* sqrt(3)
Yes, I could write sqrt(15)(sqrt(5), but neither of those is a perfect square.
Try to divide the original radical by perfect squares, beginning with 4, then 9, then 16, 25, 36,...
Square root of 98= sqrt (49)*sqrt(2)
That is 7 sqrt(2).
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To rationalize a radical, multiply the denominator's radical by itself and therefore do the same to the numerator.
5/ sqrt(2)= 5 * sqrt(2)/sqrt(2)*sqrt(2). That makes the denominator an integer but makes the numerator a radical. That's OK. The result is 5 sqrt(2)/2
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