Isolate one of the radical terms:
Square both sides:
Take away the radical and square on the left.
Write expression squared on the right as multiplied by itself:
Use FOIL on the right:
F O I L
Simplify:
Isolate the radical term:
Divide all three terms by -2
Square both sides:
Write expression squared on the left as multiplied by itself
Take away the radical and square on the right.
Don't forget to square the -2 on the right as +4
Use FOIL on the left, distribute on the right side:
Simplify
Get 0 on the right
Factor
Use zero-factor principle:
gives gives
Test in the original equation to see if it
is a correct solution or an extraneous one:
That checks, so is a correct solution.
Test in the original equation to see if it
is a correct solution or an extraneous one:
That does not check, so is an extraneous solution and
must be discarded.
The only solution is
Edwin