Question

Simplify the square root of 40x^4

Answer 1

Answer:

4 = 22

Step-by-step explanation:

Factor 40 into its prime factors

          40 = 23 • 5

To simplify a square root, we extract factors which are squares, i.e., factors that are raised to an even exponent.

Factors which will be extracted are :

          4 = 22

Factors which will remain inside the root are :

          10 = 2 • 5

To complete this part of the simplification we take the squre root of the factors which are to be extracted. We do this by dividing their exponents by 2 :

          2 = 2

At the end of this step the partly simplified SQRT looks like this:

        2 • sqrt (10x4)  

Rules for simplifing variables which may be raised to a power:

  (1) variables with no exponent stay inside the radical

  (2) variables raised to power 1 or (-1) stay inside the radical

  (3) variables raised to an even exponent: Half the exponent taken out, nothing remains inside the radical. examples:

     (3.1) sqrt(x8)=x4

    (3.2) sqrt(x-6)=x-3

   (4) variables raised to an odd exponent which is  >2  or  <(-2) , examples:

     (4.1) sqrt(x5)=x2•sqrt(x)

    (4.2) sqrt(x-7)=x-3•sqrt(x-1)

Applying these rules to our case we find out that

     SQRT(x4) = x2

  sqrt (40x4) =

       2 x2 • sqrt(10)

Simplified Root :

2 x2 • sqrt(10)