First step: Find out the prime numbers that make up the radical, for example, 120 would be 2x2x2x5x3 Second step: If there is 2 of the same number that repeats just put that number in the front of the resulting radical Third: Just multiply the remaining radicals together and put the number in front of it. Now you have
<span><span><span>Example Simplify </span></span></span>√<span><span><span>252 Step 1: Find the prime factorization of the number inside a radical.252 = 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 7 </span></span><span><span>Step 2: Determine the index of the radical. In this case, the index is two because it is a square root, which means we need two of a kind.</span></span></span>√252 = √2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 7 <span><span><span>Step 3: Move each group of numbers or variables from inside the radical to outside the radical. In this case, the pair of 2’s and 3’s moved outside the radical.2 x 3</span></span></span>√7 <span><span><span>Step 4: Simplify the expressions both inside and outside the radical by multiplying.6</span></span></span>√7