Question

how do i do radicals?

Answer 1

\[\sqrt{100}\]

Answer 2

Okay, so you know that 100 is a perfect square. 10 * 10 = 100, so you know that it's √10^2. Then, because you know that the square root basically asks "What times itself will give you this value?", we can infer that the square root of 100 is 10.

Answer 3

thanks so much!! i missed my math class. what about \[-\sqrt{144a ^{2}}\]

Answer 4

Since we know that a basic principle of roots is that √ab = √a•√b, we can break it down into -√144*√a^2. Now, the root in front of 144 is asking "What multiplied by itself will give you 144?" That is 12, because 12*12 = 144. So, we're now left with -12√a^2. So, because a^2 = a*a, we end up getting that √a^2 = a. So, after all is said and done, we have -12a. Do you understand now? :)

Answer 5

Thanks so much! I totally understand now! You should become a math teacher (if you are not one)!