Operati

ons on
Radicals
Objective:
Performs operations on
radical expressions.
 Addition and Subtraction

Adding and Subtracting radicals is similar to adding

and subtracting polynomials.

Just as you cannot combine 3x and 6y, since they are not
like terms, you cannot combine radicals unless they are
like radicals.
 • If asked to simplify the expression 2x + 3x, we recognize that
they each share a common variable part x that makes them like
terms, hence we add the coefficients and keep the variable part
the same.

3x  2 x  5 x
• Likewise, if asked to simplify radicals. If they have “like”
radicals then we add or subtract the coefficients and keep the
like radical. Two radical expressions are said to be like radicals
if they have the same index and the same radicand.

2 5 3 5 5 5
• If the radicals in your problem are different, be sure to check
to see if the radicals can be simplified. Often times, when
the radicals are simplified, they become the same radical and
can then be added or subtracted. Always simplify first, if
possible.

4 5  3 125

4 5  35 5
4 5  15 5
19 5
 Recall: Simplifying Radicals
 8 99 x5 y 3 z 2
Divide the number
under the radical.
 8 9  11  x  x  x  x  x  y  y  y  z  z
If all numbers are not
prime, continue
 8 3  3  11  x  x  x  x  x  y  y  y  z  z
dividing.

Find pairs, for a square

root, under the radical
and pull them out.  8 3  3  11  x  x  x  x  x  y  y  y  z  z
Multiply the items you
pulled out by anything 3 x x y z
in front of the radical
sign.

Multiply anything left

under the radical .  8  3  x  x  y  z 11xy

It is done!  24 x 2 yz 11xy
Simplify: 3  12

*These are not like terms, however the 12 can be simplified.

12  2  2  3  4  3  2 3
Now you can simplify by using like terms.

3  12
 32 3
3 3
Gizmo:
Operations
with Radicals
Example: 62 6 3 6

63  3 7
Example: 4 7  8 63  4 7  8(3 7 )
 4 7  24 7
 28 7
DO NOT ADD THE NUMBERS UNDER THE
RADICAL!

You may not always be able to simplify radicals.

Since the radicals are not the same, and both are in
their simplest form, there is no way to combine them.
The answer is the same as the problem:
Simplify 4 7  2 3

Answer: 4 7 2 3
Example: 2 4 2 x  6 4 2 x  84 2 x

Example: 4 3 3 x  5 3 10 x  4 3 3x  5 3 10 x
*Neither radical can be simplified. The expression is already in simplest form.

Example: A garden has a width of 13 and a length of 7 13.

What is the perimeter of the garden in simplest radical
form?
*(Hint: P = 2L + 2W)
P  2( 13 )  2(7 13 )
P  2 13  14 13
P  16 13
 Multiplying Radicals
• To multiply radicals, consider the following:
9  4  3 2  6 3
 8  3 64  2  4  8
and and
9  4  36  6 3
 8  64  3  512  8

Multiplying Radical Expression

n
a  n b  n ab
 Multiplying Radicals
You can simplify the product of two radicals by writing
them as one radical then simplifying.
Here is an example of how you can use this
Multiplication property to simplify a radical expression.

Example:
3
3
7 x 7  3 6 x8  7  6  x 7  x8  3 42x15

3
 7  2  3  x5  x5  x5

 x 5 3 42
Example: 15 x 3 y  15 xy
 225 x 4 y 2
 15 15  x 2  x 2  y 2
 15 x 2 y
Example: Multiply 7x ( x  7 7)
*Recall that to multiply (a + b)(c – d)
polynomials you need to use the =a(c – d) + b(c – d)
Distributive Property. =ac – ad + bc - bd
7x ( x  7 7)
 7 x 2  7 49 x
 x 7  77 x
 x 7  49 x
 You should recognize these from Topic 1 Notes
1 1 1 1
3 4 7
x x2 x x3 x x4 x x7
You should also remember the rules of exponents, when you multiply terms with the
same base, you add exponents. When you divide, you subtract exponents.

Ex. x5  x 7  x5 7  x12

Putting the above information together, you should see that these rules can be
combined to solve problems such as those below.

1 1 1 1 9
  
1) x 7 x  x2  x7  x 2 7   x 14

4
5 4 1 11
4   
x x5
2)  1
 x 5 4   x 20
4
x
x4
Example:
Conjugates
( 6  2 )( 6  2 ) Distribute
(2 ways to do so)

 6( 6  2)  2( 6  2)  6( 6)  6( 2)  2( 6)  2( 2)

 36  12  12  4  36  12  12  4
 36  4  36  4
 62  62
4 4

Notice that just like a difference of two squares, the middle terms cancel out.

We call these conjugate pairs.

The conjugate of a  b is a  b .

They are a conjugate pair. When we multiply a conjugate pair, the radical cancels out and we
obtain a rational number.
 Simplified Radical Expressions are recognized by…

 No radicands have perfect square factors other than

1.

 No radicands contain fractions.

 No radicals appear in the denominator of a fraction.

 Dividing Radicals
• To divide radicals, consider the following:
16 4 3
64 4
 2  2
4 2 3
8 2
and and
16 16 3
64 3 64 3
  42   82
4 4 3
8 8

Dividing Radical Expressions

n
a n a

n
b b
 Dividing Radicals
You can simplify the quotient of two radicals by
writing them as one radical then simplifying.

Example:
90 x18 90 x18
  45x17
2x 2x

 3  3  5  x8  x8  x
 3 x 8 5x
 Dividing Radicals
Example: 6 x8 y 9 6x6 y5 x3 y 2 6 y
 
5x2 y 4 5 5

Notice that after simplifying the radical, we still have a

square root in the denominator.

We have to find a way to get rid of the radical.

This is called rationalizing the denominator.

 Rationalizing the Denominator.
 Case I: There is ONE TERM in the denominator
and it is a SQUARE ROOT.
When the denominator is a monomial (one term), multiply
both the numerator and the denominator by whatever makes
the denominator an expression that can be simplified so that it
no longer contains a radical. In this case it happens to be
exactly the same as the denominator.

7
2
7 2 14 14
  
2 2 4 2
 Case II: There is ONE TERM in the
denominator, however, THE INDEX IS GREATER
THAN TWO.
Sometimes you need to multiply by whatever makes the
denominator a perfect cube or any other power greater than 2 that
can be simplified.
3
9
3
11

3
9 3 11 11 3 1089
3 
3
11 11 11 11
 Case III: There are TWO TERMS in the
denominator. We also use conjugate pairs to
rationalize denominators.
3 6 3 6 3 6
  Be sure to enclose
3 6 3 6 3 6
expressions with
9  18  18  36 multiple terms in ( ).
 This will help you to
9  18  18  36
remember to FOIL
3  2 18  6 these expressions.

9  36 Always reduce the root
index (numbers
3  2(3 3 ) outside radical) to the

36 simplest form (lowest)
36 3 for the final answer.
  1 2 3
3
 Application/Critical Thinking
A. Find a radical expression for the perimeter
and area of a right triangle with side lengths
4 3 , 12, 8 3.

Perimeter … (P = a + b + c)

4 3  12  8 3  12  12 3

1
Hint: In a right Area  bh 8 3  13.86
triangle, the 2
longest side is the This is longer than
hypotenuse of the A  (4 3 )(12) 12, so 12 is a leg.
triangle.
A  48 3
 Application/Critical Thinking
B. The areas of two circles are 15 square cm and 20
square cm. Find the exact ratio of the radius of the
smaller circle to the radius of the larger circle.

Find the radius of each first . . . A = π r2

Smaller Circle Larger Circle 15

15   r 2 20   r 2 11  15  3  3
15 20 20 4 2
r 20
r 11
11 11
 Practice Problems

9  9 
3x 3  2 5x  4 4
46 x12  14 x9
Not real
4
 3 x  2 3x  5 x  46 x12  14 x9
4
 3 x  2 15 x 2  644 x 21
4
 3 x  2 x 15  4  161  x16  x5
4
 2  2  7  23  x 4  x 4  x 4  x 4  x5
4
 x 4 644 x5

Practice Problems and Answers

 4 4
16 48 64 128
81 4 3
8 100 27

4 4
16 48 222222 2222222
   
81 8 4 3
2255
4 4 24 8
 2 4 
9  6  3
4
100
24 4 4
100
 4
4
100 100
24 400

100
22 5

10
4 5

10
2 5

5
  9  12 11  12  4 7
3 3
16  8
5 8

 99  9 12  11 12  12 4 7 3 3 16  8 5 8
   
3 3 3 3 5 8 5 8

 111  20 12 (4  7 )(3  3 )
 (16  8 )(5  8 )

(3  3 )(3  3 ) (5  8 )(5  8 )
 111  20 4  3

12  4 3  3 7  21  80  16 8  5 8  8
 111  40 3  
93 3 3 3  9 25  5 8  5 8  8
 72  11 8

12  4 3  3 7  21 17

6
 1

w10 t 2 1 m5
3  1
36 125 x3  x6
m8

2 1 1 1
     
w5  w5 1 1 1
 x 3 6   x 5 8 
 3    t
66 5 5 5 5  8 5 
  
3
w5 t  x6  x 40 40 
 
6 5 6 5 3
 x
 x 40
40 3
 x
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