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Exponents and Radicals
Division of Radicals
Exponents and Radicals
RADICALS & RATIONAL EXPONENTS
Radicals and Rational Exponents
Radical Equations
Solving Radical Equations
Roots and Radicals
RADICAL EQUATION
Simplifying Radical Expressions
Radical Expressions
Solving Radical Equations
Solving Radical Equations
Exponents and Radicals
Exponents and Radicals
Roots;Rational Exponents;Radical Equations
Solving and graphing radical equations
Solving Radical Equations
Radicals and Rational Exponents
exponential_and_radical_properties
Roots, Radicals, and Root Functions
Multiplication of Radicals
Solving Radical Equations
Radical Expressions and Equations
SOLVING RADICAL EQUATIONS
Equations Containing Radicals and Complex Numbers
Square Roots and Radicals
Solving Radical Equations in One Variable Algebraically
Polynomials and Radicals
Roots,Radicals,and Fractional Exponents
Adding, Subtracting, and Multiplying Radical Expressions
Square Formula and Powers with Radicals
Simplifying Radicals
Exponents and Radicals Practice
Solving Radical Equations
Solving Radical Equations
Solving Radical Equations
Lecture-Radical Expressions
Radical Functions
   
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Solving Radical Equations

In this section we want to learn how to solve equations containing radicals, like . In
order to do this we need the following property.

n-th Power Property
If , then

Basically, this property tells us we can raise both sides of any equation to any power we would
like. However, we must be careful. There are several places where we can make serious
mistakes.

First, we need to make sure that we really are raising the entire side to the nth power and not just
each term individually. Also, when using the nth power property there is the possibility that we
end up with solutions that don’t check, called extraneous solutions. The reason we get these on
occasion has to do with the logical construction of the property. The property tells us that if
something is a solution to then it must also be a solution to . That doesn’t mean
that if something is a solution to that it is a solution to . To rectify this, we simply
check our answers and throw away the ones that do not work.

So, always remember, be careful to raise the entire side to the n-th power, and we must always
check our answers.

Example 1:

Solve.

Solution:

a. We can use the n-th power property to get rid of the radical. Since we have a square
root, we should use the second power, i.e. we should square both sides of the equation.
Then we can solve like usual. We get

Now we must check our answer. We do this in the original equation. If the value does
not check, then we eliminate it and would have no solution. We get

Since the value checks, our solution is set {17}.

b. Again, we need to raise both sides of the equation to a suitable power to get rid of the
radical. This time we will use the 3rd power since we have a cube root. We get

Now we check the solution.

Since the value checks the solution set is .

c. Finally, we need to raise both sides to the 4th power since we have a 4th root. We get

Check:

Since it does not check, 2 can not be a solution to the equation. Therefore, we have the
equation has no solution.

Now, sometimes the equation is a bit more complicated. What we need to know is that before
raising both sides to the n-th power, we must always isolate the radical expression first. That way
we are assured that it will cancel when we use the exponent. Also, sometimes, after raising both
sides to the n-th power, we end up with a radical still in the equation. In this situation, we need to
again isolate the radical and again use the exponent. We keep repeating this process until all the
radicals are gone. Then we solve as usual.

Example 2:

Solve.

Solution:

a. First thing we need to do is isolate the radical. Once we have done that we can square
both sides of the equation as we did in example1. Then, of course, we finish solving and
check.

Check:

The value checks. Therefore the solution set is {6}.

b. Notice this time that one of the radicals is already isolated. Therefore we can go ahead
and square both sides. Must, however be very careful with squaring the right side since it
has two terms. It generally makes it easier to square properly by writing the entire side
out twice and then multiplying as we learned in section 8.4. We get

Notice that we are left with another equation that has a radical. Therefore, we need to
isolate again and square again. In this case however, it is easier to simply isolate the
term containing the radical and the carefully square both sides. We can then continue
solving as usual.

Check:

Since the solution checks, the solution set is .

c. Finally, we must start by isolating one of the two radicals in this equation. We will choose
to isolate the positve one. Generally we isolate the more complicated radical in order to
eliminate it first. However, either could be isolated and still produce the correct solutions.
Once we have isolated the radical then we can square both sides very carefully and then
continue as usual. We get

Recall, to solve an equation that has a squared term we must solve by factoring. That is,
we get all terms on one side, factor and set each factor to zero. This gives

Now we must check both answers and keep only those which work
Check:

So, 22 does not check but 2 does. Therefore, the 22 is an extraneous solution. So our
solution set is {2 }.

Finally we want to see some applications of radicals. The first of these requires the Pythagorean
theorem. We state it below.

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