Radicals

Proving a Radical Expression Is Rational

It can be tricky deciding how to approach a proof; this problem, whose answer requires going in a very different direction than you might expect, provides some interesting insights into the nature of proof. The proof itself, in fact, is far less interesting than the process of getting there!

Simplifying Sums and Quotients of Radicals

(A new question of the week) A recent question asked about the reasons for differences in the work of simplifying different kinds of radical expressions. We’ll look at that general question, with two specific examples, and then consider an older problem of the same type.